Wheel of Fortune
by SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan
Summary: Small changes can have big impacts. Natsu never spent a lot of time with some of his fellow guild-mates, however, a chance interaction with one, causes Natsu to unearth a secret. Cana had a secret, Natsu stumbled upon it and in doing so, decided that he would do his best to help Cana confront her fears and tell her father just who she is, while both grow stronger along the way.
1. Twist of Fate

**Welcome, welcome to another story by yours truly. (Also, yes this is the same opening note for all of my Fairy Tail stories but the ending notes are different).**

 **Firstly, I just have to say Fairy Tail is absolutely awesome at creating strong heroines, I mean you look at most of the main shounen manga and they all have a multitude of weak female characters.  
Even classics like Dragon Ball fell into this after a while, sure they have strong willed characters like Chi-Chi and Bulma, and #18 was a great fighter who had her moments, when she was the strongest during the Android Saga and broke Vegeta's arm for instance, but, eventually it all dissipated.  
It is honestly a little sad, I'm no feminist or anything, but almost every female character in every manga is really weak and it is a little annoying.  
Then you have Fairy Tail with the likes of Erza, Mirajane, Ultear, Kagura, Minerva, Mavis etc. It is really awesome, I mean if Kishimoto took some advice from Mashima maybe Sakura and Hinata wouldn't have been so damn annoying.**

 **In any case, there is a lot to like about Fairy Tail but one of my favourite parts is the E.N.D. plot twist.  
This is a warning for this and all of my other Fairy Tail stories, all of them will play off the knowledge of E.N.D. Some almost straight from the beginning and some halfway through the story, the point I'm trying to make is if you don't know who E.N.D. is and don't want to be spoiled, don't read my Fairy Tail stories until you do.**

 **With that said, on with the story.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga all I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 1 – Twist of Fate

Fairy Tail, a guild renowned throughout the lands, famous for its propensity to churn out extremely powerful mages. The guild was not only famous for its powerful mages, but also, was famous for two other things: the sheer grit each and every member put into protecting its members and its knack for causing destruction everywhere its members went. The guild hall itself was no exception.

'Damn it!' Cursed a spiky pink haired boy.

'When will you learn you aren't ready to fight me Natsu? Stop being so childish, if you want to get stronger, train harder, challenging me to a fight every day won't change anything.' Chided a red headed girl, whose hair was mostly pulled back into a long braid, with two chin-length side bangs framing her face. The girl was known as Erza Scarlet and wore a white, long-sleeved shirt and skirt, with dark navy legging-like pants under the skirt, along with brown shoes. The odd part of her attire though, was the chest plate and shoulder armour she wore over the shirt, along with a sword she kept on her left hip, with the help of a belt.

'This is the best way to get stronger though. First, I'll beat you and Mira and then I'll beat Laxus, then I'll be the strongest!' Shouted the boy, now revealed to be Natsu. Natsu was garbed in a red, long-sleeved shirt and dark yellow shorts with brown trim and simple brown shoes. The final and most distinctive part of his attire, was a long, white scarf that had a scaled design to it, that he kept wrapped around his neck.

'I'll be the strongest, then, then I'll be able to find Igneel I know it.' Whispered Natsu to himself.

'Ha dream on pipsqueak!' Interjected a white haired girl, dressed in punk-gothic style clothing.

'Mirajane this isn't your concern, I'll be the one to discipline Natsu, not you.' Stated Erza.

'Oh Scarlet, you have some nerve telling me what to do.' Said the white haired girl, Mirajane Strauss, menacingly.

'Now that I think about, it is about time I put you down, Mira.' Retorted the red haired girl.

'Oh yeah, bring it Erza, I'll crush you!' Shouted Mirajane.

'Bring it Mira!' Shouted Erza.

The two girls grappled and locked their hands together and slammed their heads against each other, both trying to outdo their opponent in a feat of pure strength.

'Heh, you'll see, I'll be the strongest!' Shouted Natsu.

'Quiet down Natsu, before you get hurt.' Commented a black haired child, around the same age as Natsu.

'Put some pants on before you try to lecture me, Gray!' Shouted Natsu to the boy, who suddenly looked down and noticed he was only wearing a pair of dark blue briefs.

'Ah! When did this happen?' Cried Gray, as he looked down in surprise and started running around looking for his clothes.

'*sigh* You really don't notice it at all, do you?' Muttered a brown haired girl sitting next to him. She wore a checkered light brown dress and was setting cards down on the table. When she placed her next card down, her eyes widened.

'Oi, oi what is it Cana, what is it?' Asked Natsu, as he eagerly approached the brown haired girl seated at the table.

Cana shook her head slightly, causing her ponytail, and the two long bangs which reached just past her collarbone, framing her face, to shake slightly.

'I drew The Emperor card.' Said Cana flatly.

'Oh, what does that mean?' Asked Natsu eagerly, as he pressed his hands on the table in excitement, leaning forward slightly to get a better look at the cards.

'Well, normally it means someone is coming back to the guild, someone really strong.' Explained Cana.

'Whoa that's cool, I wonder who it will be? What's the next card?' Asked Natsu eagerly.

Cana placed the next card down and looked at it in disbelief.

'The Wheel of Fortune… what does that mean?' Asked Natsu, as he read the card upside down before looking at Cana.

'It means a change in fate.' Explained Cana, before putting down the next card and shivering.

'The Tower.' Muttered Cana, before laying down the next card.

'The Fool?' Questioned Cana.

'What, what do those two cards mean?' Asked Natsu, who had now come over to sit next to Cana.

'The Tower represents a great upheaval, usually something unexpected or unwanted. The Fool on the other hand represents the beginning of a new adventure or journey.' Explained Cana.

The pink haired boy crossed his arms and thought for a moment, humming to himself.

'I got it! I bet it means someone really strong will come to the guild and take me away on a new adventure!' Declared Natsu, which made Cana laugh.

'Well actually I wasn't doing your fortune, just a general one, but if you'd like, I'd be happy to try one for you?' Offered Cana, as she deftly picked all the cards back up and shuffled them, before looking to Natsu in anticipation.

'Sure why not, maybe it will tell me where to find Igneel.' Agreed Natsu, as he nodded his head.

'Ok here, shuffle the cards first.' Instructed Cana, as she handed the deck to Natsu.

'The Hanged Man.' Said Cana, after she placed the first card down, once Natsu gave the cards back to her.

'Oh, is that bad?' Questioned Natsu.

'No it is just the name, The Hanged Man represents a feeling of being stuck and unable to move forward.' Explained Cana before placing the next card.

'Strength that must be good right?' Stated Natsu happily.

'Hmm, yes it is, usually.' Said Cana, before placing the next card down.

'The Lovers, hmm sounds boring.' Commented Natsu.

'Hey, The Lovers card isn't so bad, most people want it anyway.' Said Cana defending the card.

'Ok, ok, what's the next one?' Questioned Natsu excitedly.

'The Emperor card again.' Said Cana with a raised eyebrow.

'Yes, that means for sure someone strong is going to come back to the guild and train me, I can feel it!' Exclaimed Natsu excitedly.

'The Star.' Finished Cana, as she drew the final card with a slightly forlorn tone.

'Is that good?' Asked Natsu eagerly.

'Well it usually represents hope and wishes being granted.' Explained Cana.

'Yes, I can feel it, I'll find Igneel. I know I will.' Whispered Natsu to himself.

'Hey, can I try and do a fortune for you?' Asked Natsu abruptly, surprising Cana.

'Um sure, I guess you can.' Said Cana slowly, as she shuffled the cards before handing them to Natsu.

'Cool, ok, just let me know what I need to do.' Said Natsu.

'Just like I did for you, lay out five cards one by one. The first card represents the present position, the second, the present desires, then the third, the unexpected, the fourth is the immediate future and the last is the outcome.' Explained Cana.

'Ok here we go.' Said Natsu as he placed the first card down.

'The High Priestess, she is the guardian of secrets.' Explained Cana quietly, which Natsu nodded to before drawing the second card.

'Oh the Death card, is that bad?' Questioned a panicked Natsu.

'N-not necessarily… it usually just means the end of something significant and a shocking change or event that leads to something new.' Said Cana with a slight pause.

'The Lovers card again? Really? How boring.' Commented Natsu, as he placed the third card down.

'Hey stop bad mouthing The Lovers card.' Chided Cana with a pout.

'Fine, fine, here comes number four.' Said Natsu.

'The Moon.' Muttered Cana sadly.

'What's wrong with The Moon?' Questioned Natsu curiously.

'It usually has to do with fears and anxieties… but it can also mean unexpected possibilities too.' Explained Cana morosely, before perking up at the end.

'Alright and lucky last, The World.' Said Natsu.

'That's a good one, it means fulfilment and success or satisfaction.' Said Cana happily.

'So was that a good fortune or not?' Questioned Natsu a little confused, as he scratched the back of his head, after giving Cana her cards back.

'Hmm, well there aren't really any good or bad fortunes, but I do like what my fortune predicts, thanks Natsu, I think this is the first time anyone has done a fortune for me, it was nice.' Thanked Cana with a smile.

'Yeah it was fun, although I still say The Lovers card is boring.' Replied Natsu with a cheeky grin.

'Stop being so mean to The Lovers card, really, it can represent new love or attraction but most of the time it has to do with a struggle between a person's head and their heart.' Cana said defensively.

'That sounds better, still don't know why they choose a crummy name like The Lovers, why not the Heart and Head card.' Retorted Natsu.

'Heart and Head card… that just sounds weird.' Commented Cana, with a perplexed expression on her face.

'Ah whatever, I'm going to go and explore for a while, I'm bored.' Said Natsu.

'Ok, have fun.' Replied Cana disinterestedly, as she glanced back at her cards.

 _-line break-_

Natsu had been motivated from hearing his fortune and was now out searching for clues to Igneel's whereabouts.

'Hmm, if I was Igneel where would I go?' Said Natsu aloud in thought, as he walked around Magnolia.

'Aha of course! Igneel wouldn't be in a town, he'd be in a forest or a cave!' Shouted Natsu suddenly, startling some of the nearby people, before he dashed off towards the forest.

Natsu, upon reaching the forest, slowed his run to a comfortable jog as he surveyed his surroundings.

'Let's see, Igneel is really big and can fly so he'd probably be high up in the trees.' Said Natsu, before he quickly scaled a nearby tree and placed a hand over his eyes, to block the sunlight, as he looked around.

"Hmm, I think there is something in that tree." Thought Natsu, as he spotted something blue and white amongst the green, leafy treetop.

Natsu quickly slid down the tree, showing amazing dexterity, before he climbed the tree where he saw something peculiar. With a final grunt, Natsu pulled himself up to one of the higher branches, before he finally found what caught his eye.

'Hmm an egg… this must be a dragon egg, just look at how big it is!' Exclaimed Natsu excitedly, as he saw a large, white egg, with a blue flame-like design along it.

'Alright, I'm going to hatch this egg and maybe the dragon will be able to tell me where Igneel is!' Exclaimed Natsu excitedly.

Natsu spent a long time with the egg, at one point, he tried sitting on it to hatch it, which he quickly stopped when he worried the egg was going to break. After a while, he headed deeper into the forest and found a small clearing and built a small hut, after which, he placed the egg inside and wrapped his scarf around it while sitting close to it, so his body would provide it heat.

'You know Igneel is a real cool dragon, I mean I bet you'll be a really cool dragon too when you grow up, but Igneel was really, really cool.' Said Natsu as he talked to the egg, finding that it eased his boredom.

'I mean you should have seen how high he could fly, it was really cool, like really, really cool. Sometimes he would even drop from the sky really fast and the wind would just rush right through us, it was like we weighed nothing.' Continued Natsu fondly.

Natsu ended up staying with the egg all night and even slept there, right next to it, for days and only left it occasionally to get food. Before he knew it, almost a week had passed and he was still there, waiting for the egg to hatch.

 _-line break-_

'Hmm is it just me or has something been odd this past week.' Said Makarov, the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, aloud from the bar.

The only people who heard Makarov's musings were two older men, one of whom was smoking.

'Heh, now that you mention it, it has been pretty quiet this past week.' Commented the man who was smoking.

'Hmm, yeah now that you mention it, Natsu hasn't started a fight with anyone in over a week… come to think of it, he hasn't been to the guild in a week either.' Added the other man who had dark blue hair.

Erza, who had been walking by as the older men spoke, paused and thought on this.

"Hmm, I hope Natsu hasn't done something reckless." Thought Erza, before looking across the guildhall.

'Gray, have you seen Natsu anywhere?' Asked Erza sharply, getting the topless boy to splutter in surprise before answering.

'Uh no I haven't seen him all week.' Said Gray somewhat nervously.

'Hmm, has anyone seen Natsu this week?' Asked Erza loudly, but was only met with negative responses from most of the guild members.

'I can divine for him if you want.' Offered Cana from beside Gray.

'Please do, it is unlike Natsu to not come to the guildhall for such a long period of time.' Requested Erza.

'Feh I bet the little cry-baby got lost or something, he isn't the sharpest knife in the kitchen after all.' Said Mira mockingly.

'Stay out of this you midriff baring wench!' Shouted Erza.

'Oh you want to fight, huh tin-can?' Taunted Mirajane, before the two started to fight with each other.

'Ok, got him Erza… um.' Said Cana, before realising Erza and Mira were now fighting with each other.

'So does anyone want to go find Natsu?' Question Cana flatly.

'Oh, I'll come with you Cana.' Said Lisanna, a girl who shared the same features as Mirajane, but had shorter hair and a warmer disposition.

'Alright, Gray, Elfman, are you guys going to come along as well?' Asked Cana, as she stood up and gave a slight stretch.

'Eh might as well, things have been pretty boring here without flame-brain.' Said Gray, as he unknowingly took his pants off.

'I'll come as well.' Agreed Elfman, another person who shared Mira's features of white hair and blue eyes, as he walked over to Lisanna.

'Alright but firstly, Gray, clothes.' Said Cana in exasperation, as the boy scurried to redress himself.

 _-line break-_

'Hmm I wonder if you are going to hatch today.' Said Natsu to the egg.

'I mean, aren't you hungry in there?' Questioned Natsu.

'Natsu, why are you talking to an egg?' Questioned Lisanna, as she, along with Gray, Cana and Elfman entered Natsu's little hut.

'Oh hey guys, how's it going?' Said Natsu happily, as he waved to his friends.

'How's it going? Really?' Asked Gray incredulously.

'Yeah, why, what's wrong?' Asked Natsu, as he tilted his head in confusion.

'Natsu, you haven't shown up at the guild for a week now.' Said Cana flatly.

'Oh wow, really? I guess I lost track of time.' Said Natsu, as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

'What have you been doing all week Natsu?' Asked Elfman curiously.

'I was looking after this egg.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Really, you managed to look after an egg for a whole week and not break it?' Questioned Mira who had suddenly entered the tent with Erza.

'What are you guys doing here?' Asked Cana in surprise.

'Oh we followed after you four shortly, just after you left.' Said Erza before walking closer to Natsu.

'Although I have to say, I'm impressed Natsu, I didn't think you could look after something like an egg for so long.' Complimented Erza.

'It wasn't so hard, although I wonder how it is getting any food in there.' Said Natsu getting a laugh from Gray.

'Ha, eggs don't need food flame-brain!' Mocked Gray.

'Of course they do, everything needs food, how do you explain the egg not being hungry?' Retorted Natsu angrily.

Gray paused for a moment before Mira laughed.

'Ha, you're just as dumb as him.' Said Mira.

'Oi what do you mean, I'm way smarter than him?' Retorted Gray.

'Sure, and that's why you didn't know that eggs have food stored inside them for growth, until they are ready to be hatched.' Said Mira haughtily.

'Um guys, I didn't really build this hut for so many people.' Said Natsu weakly, as he nervously looked around.

'Hmm, good point, well then let's go back to the guild.' Said Erza.

'Wow Natsu, you built this place and looked after the egg for a week, you'll make a great father someday.' Said Lisanna getting everyone to react.

'Oh no, stop thinking that right now Lisanna, you are not allowed to fraternise with Erza's group.' Said Mira firmly.

'Uh, that was an odd thing to say, don't you think sis?' Asked Elfman.

'Why? I'm the mum and Natsu's the dad. You're the uncle, Erza and Mira are the aunts, Gray is Natsu's rival and Cana… I guess Cana is Natsu's mistress.' Said Lisanna with a soft smile.

'What?' Said Cana gobsmacked.

'Mira, what on earth have you been telling Lisanna to corrupt her like this?' Shouted Erza, as she pointed her finger at Mira angrily.

'What, why do you assume I did this to her, maybe Natsu corrupted her from your side?' Defended Mira.

'Really. Natsu!' Shouted Erza disbelievingly.

'Um what's a mistress?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'See!' Shouted Erza, getting Mira to blush slightly.

'What's the matter Erza, if you want you can be Natsu's mistress too?' Said Lisanna happily, getting Erza's jaw to drop, while Elfman and Gray discreetly left the hut and ran away as fast as they could.

'W-what?' Spluttered Erza, at the innocent look on Lisanna's face.

Erza stammered and opened her mouth abruptly before closing it repeatedly, looking like a goldfish in the process.

'Ha, you being a mistress suits you.' Teased Mira.

'You can be one too Mira, we will be one big happy family.' Said Lisanna, now stunning her sister, who reacted just like Erza.

'Okay that's it, we need to have a talk Lisanna.' Said Mira, as she dragged her sister out of the hut, leaving a flustered Erza, surprised Cana and a confused Natsu behind.

After a long silence Natsu rephrased his question.

'So is a mistress a friend or something?' Asked Natsu.

Erza just looked at Natsu, then, after her words failed her, abruptly left the tent, leaving Cana and a quizzical Natsu.

'*sigh* I'll tell you what it is when you're older, alright Natsu.' Said Cana, as she pinched the bridge of her nose, not looking forward to that conversation.

'Ok… um, do you think we can go to the guild now; I've cleaned out most of the forest nearby for food and don't want to go too far from the egg?' Asked Natsu.

'Sure, let's go.' Said Cana, glad the topic of conversation had changed.

Natsu took his scarf off the egg and wrapped it around his neck, before picking up the egg.

'Alright, let's go.' Said Natsu, as the card mage and fire mage headed back to the guild.

 _-line break-_

The residents in the guild were surprised when a nervous Gray and Elfman returned, then quickly separated and sat in far corners of the guild. Eventually, a slightly blushing Mira entered, dragging a cheerfully smiling Lisanna behind her and sat in another unoccupied corner of the guild, shortly after which, a heavily blushing Erza arrived and also sat in the last remaining unoccupied corner of the guild.

Makarov stroked his chin thoughtfully, before loudly asking a question.

'So did any of you find Natsu?' Asked Makarov, which caused the five who had just recently returned to avoid his gaze.

Luckily for the quintet, Cana soon entered the guild, with Natsu following behind her with the egg.

'Hey gramps, sorry I haven't been to the guild all week, I've been looking after this egg.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

Makarov merely raised an eyebrow at this as Natsu approached him.

'Really my boy? You've been looking after this thing all by yourself?' Questioned Makarov sounding slightly impressed.

'Yep and I think it's going to hatch pretty soon.' Said Natsu, only for the egg to start cracking.

'Oh, it's cracking gramps, is it hatching or did I break it?' Questioned Natsu worriedly.

'Settle down my boy, just place it on the ground, it is hatching.' Said Makarov, as he hopped down from the bar and walked over to Natsu, with the rest of the guild starting to crowd around as well, even the group that had comprised Natsu's search party, although they didn't make eye contact with each other.

The egg started to shake and crumble before a bright blue light ascended from the egg. The light intensified before disappearing and revealing a blue and white, winged, cat-like creature.

'Aye.' Said the newborn, before it floated down on to Natsu's head, seemingly falling asleep.

'So what are you going to name it boy?' Asked Makarov curiously.

Natsu looked around and noticed that everyone was smiling and looked joyful at the newborn creature.

'Happy.' Said Natsu, getting a small aye from the creature that nuzzled further into his hair.

Everyone looked at the cat-like creature in happiness, before Natsu decided to ask Makarov a question.

'Hey gramps, by the way, do you know what a mistress is?' Asked Natsu, getting the entire guild to look at him in shock, except for the former search party who all looked away from each other.

'What?' Shouted nearly everyone in the guild. 

**I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter but now I need your opinion straight off the bat. All of my Fairy Tail stories are set up in a way that they can all be single pairings, in other words just Natsu/Cana for instance, or can have multiple pairings.**

 **Each story however has a separate selection of who I could possibly add.**

 **For this story however, should most of you choose for multiple pairings it would include any or all of the following: Erza, Lisanna, Lucy, Ultear, Yukino and/or Mirajane.**

 **This selection however is non-negotiable as there is a reason for each person, in other words for this story, someone like Kagura would not work at all, hence no amount of persuasion would make me add her.  
**


	2. Gildarts

**Firstly, I'm really sorry that it took so long for this story to get its second chapter, but I was hammering out some future plot points and believe me, Natsu's journey in this story will be a doozy.**

 **I can't wait to really kick this story into gear though because I have huge plans for Natsu and the, as I've decided to name them, "Natsu Search Party".**

 **It will be a few more chapters before I start to make a few small time-skips, but these early chapters are really going to set the scene for the teams dynamic, as well as giving what happens later on, much more meaning, so bear with me.**

 **The poll for the pairing is up on my profile now, so make sure to vote.**

 **Also, I have not abandoned any of my stories. For the love of Fan-service *cough* I mean Fairy Tail, I won't abandon any of my stories.**

 **I have also set up a , so check that out as well if you can.**

 **Lastly, I will be done with Uni next month and be able to update more frequently then, so just bear with me for that little bit longer, but I'm not going to promise daily updates when the time comes, as that really wiped me out… but I'll probably be updating every 3-5 days when the time comes.**

 **Enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 2 – Gildarts

It was a new day and the guild had now recovered from Natsu's shocking question, which had also made the "Natsu Search Party", very uncomfortable. Natsu had gone home that day, seemingly still ignorant to what a mistress was and had introduced his new partner, the newly hatched Happy, to their humble home.

Currently, the two were heading towards the guild, Happy perched on Natsu's head, still snoozing away. As the Dragon Slayer walked, he suddenly heard the chiming of bells. Natsu paused for a moment, before giving a massive grin.

'Happy, wake up!' Shouted Natsu in excitement, as he started running towards the guild.

'Natsu what is it?' Mumbled Happy sleepily.

'It's Gildarts!' Exclaimed Natsu in excitement.

'*yawn* Is that food?' Asked Happy, with a yawn.

'No, it is the strongest mage in Fairy Tail next to gramps.' Said Natsu calmly, as he picked up his pace, wanting to get to the guild as fast as possible.

'That's *yawn* nice.' Yawned Happy, before nuzzling deeper into Natsu's hair.

After a minute of intense sprinting, Natsu finally burst into the guild and immediately set his gaze on a well-built man with orange hair.

'Gildarts, fight me!' Shouted Natsu in excitement, as he charged the cloaked figure.

In the blink of an eye, Natsu was wrapped up in crushing choke hold.

'Oh, it's just you again, Natsu.' Commented Gildarts, with a smile.

'Hmm, did you dye your hair blue, Natsu?' Asked Gildarts in confusion, seeing a tuft of blue…fur, on the head of the young boy.

'That's not Natsu's hair Gildarts, that's our son.' Interjected Lisanna, walking up to the trio.

'What? You and Natsu had a kid?' Questioned Gildarts in surprise, dropping Natsu.

'Of course, I'm his wife after all, oops, I mean I will be.' Said Lisanna cheerfully.

'Lisanna stop that right now! We talked about this!' Grumbled Mira, walking over to her sister.

'I thought you were okay with being the aunt? Did you really want to be a…' Started Lisanna, before Mira abruptly cut her off, with a hand over her mouth.

'Stop right there Lisanna.' Ordered Mira.

'As expected, you failed to do your job.' Commented Erza, walking over to the two girls.

'Shut it red! This is none of your business!' Shouted Mira, releasing Lisanna and pointing at her rival.

'But what if Erza wants to be one too? Then it is her business.' Added Lisanna, getting the two fearsome female mages, to gawk at Lisanna once again.

'That's it! We're having another talk, Lisanna!' Declared Mira, dragging her sister from the guild.

Erza stood there for a moment, before walking over to Natsu and Gildarts.

'And Natsu, stop annoying Gildarts every time he returns.' Admonished the redhead.

'B-but he almost never shows up, I mean, half the time I forget he is even a part of the guild and he never fights with us.' Protested Natsu.

'That's because he is so strong that only Master would ever be able to fight him.' Retorted Erza, only to get a small scoff from Natsu, who muttered something under his breath.

'So Gildarts, how was your job?' Asked Makarov, getting Gildarts to focus on him once again.

'Finished it weeks ago. I would have been here sooner, but, well, something came up.' Said Gildarts sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

Makarov groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose.

'What did you destroy this time?' Asked Makarov in exasperation.

'Nothing too special… I mean, it was just a small mansion of a Duke in Shirotsume town.' Said Gildarts sheepishly.

'I even paid for all the damage, but he got offended that I called his maids ugly, so he locked me up. It took me a month to realise I could literally, just walk out of there.' Continued Gildarts, laughing towards the end, much to Makarov's annoyance.

'Oh that reminds me of something Gildarts!' Shouted Natsu excitedly.

'Hmm, what would that be?' Asked Gildarts curiously, wondering how him destroying stuff and getting locked up, would remind Natsu of something.

'That thing you said before, maid, is a maid similar to a mistress or something?' Asked Natsu curiously, a small grin on his face, much to Erza's shock.

'N-Natsu that isn't something you need to know about…' Started Erza, before Gildarts cut her off.

'Hmm, well I suppose a mistress could be a maid… why do you ask?' Said Gildarts curiously.

'Well, Lisanna said that she is my wife, which I also don't really get. The way she talks about it, I think she means mate, but just doesn't understand… wait, not important right now, but anyway, she said that Cana, Mira and Erza could be my mistresses, so what does that mean? Does that mean they'll fight me whenever I want or something?' Asked Natsu excitedly, fully aware that the girl next to him, now had a face matching her hair colour.

Erza was about to interject once again, before Gildarts spoke up.

'Well, I suppose you do wrestle with a mistress if you want to, although, aren't you a little young to be thinking about that kind of stuff Natsu? I didn't think about things like that until I was almost twice your age.' Said Gildarts in amusement.

'But they won't fight me seriously! I mean, I know I only really ever fight Gray sort of seriously, since I mostly just don't like Gray and his stripping, but they always ignore me!' Whined Natsu, getting Makarov to raise an eyebrow.

'Natsu, are you trying to say you don't fight Mira or Erza seriously?' Asked Makarov curiously.

'Of course! I never fight anyone in the guild seriously, they're my family… I just make a small exception for Gray because he is always stripping.' Answered Natsu without hesitation, getting Erza next to him to blink in surprise.

'Hey, what did you say flame brain?' Shouted Gray, as he marched across the guild, stripping down to his boxers in the process.

'Ugh, you did it again you damn stripper!' Shouted Natsu, jabbing his index finger in Gray's direction.

'What do you mean?' Asked Gray, before looking down and exclaiming in surprise.

'What the hell Natsu? Give me back my clothes!' Shouted Gray, not noticing his clothes were all laid out in a trail behind him.

'I didn't take your clothes you damn stripper!' Shouted Natsu, before walloping Gray with an uppercut, sending him crashing into a table.

'Alright Gildarts, I'll deal with the stripper for now, but I want to know what a mistress is, after I pound the ice cube.' Said Natsu firmly, before charging after his rival.

'Hmm, I guess that makes sense. Natsu is a Dragon Slayer and if he fought seriously, it could seriously hurt someone.' Said Makarov, with a nod.

'What about Gray then master?' Asked Erza.

'Ah, I'm sure Gray can handle it, ice is a good match for fire after all, I'm sure their attacks don't even hurt each other too much, considering they are both counters to each other.' Answered Gildarts, with Makarov nodding in agreement.

'Maybe if you had an armour that could reduce the damage from fire attacks, Natsu might fight you more seriously.' Suggested Makarov.

'True, but I doubt he would want to hurt his mistress.' Added Gildarts, much to Erza's embarrassment, who gave a small bow to the two senior mages and decided to give Lisanna a stern talking to, leaving the guild to find her and Mira.

'Uh Natsu, what's going on?' Mumbled a sleepy voice, next to Gildarts feet.

'Hmm.' Hummed Gildarts, as he picked up the blue furred creature.

'You aren't Natsu.' Said the creature cutely, before looking at the man intently.

'Do you have any food?' Asked Happy, still projecting a demure expression.

'Well, I did have a few fish left over from on my way here.' Said Gildarts, as he pulled out a fish from a pouch.

Happy took the offered treat and bit into it, before his eyes sparkled in joy.

'If you think that's good, wait until you have a fresh one.' Said Gildarts in amusement, after Happy, despite his small stature, devoured the fish his size, whole.

'Natsu, I want fish!' Cried Happy, flying at his friend.

'Fine, we can go fishing after I finish with the stripper over here.' Said Natsu, with a bruised cheek, as he looked down on an even more bruised Gray, who had painful marks visible all over his body, due to his lack of attire.

'Natsu, let's go now.' Whined Happy.

'Fine, fine. We'll finish this later.' Said Natsu, facing his rival.

'This is my win then, since you're forfeiting if you leave!' Declared Gray, only for Happy to drop a mug on Gray's head, knocking him out.

'Now, fish!' Declared Happy excitedly, as he perched on the head of the Dragon Slayer.

'Nice work Happy! I'll get you three fish for sure, for knocking out the ice block.' Cheered Natsu, with Happy joining him, before the two left the guild.

 _-line break-_

Cana sighed, sitting across from a small stream, watching the water serenely flow by. Once again, Gildarts had returned. Once again, she found an excuse to not be honest with herself… or her father. Cana sighed again, resting her chin on her knees, which were pulled up to her chest. Her excuse this time, was the same as always: how could a common mage, tell the Ace of her guild, that she was his daughter? Cana buried her head into her arms and sniffled, shedding a single tear, followed by another, the salty water dampening her arms.

'Alright Happy, we're here, we'll get you fish soon.' Said a voice, with a hint of exasperation, which Cana instantly recognised.

'Come on Natsu, I'm hungry.' Whined Happy.

'But Gildarts just gave you a fish.' Retorted Natsu, the pair's voices growing closer to Cana, who was frozen.

'I know, but that made me hungry.' Replied Happy simply.

'How can eating food make you hungry?' Questioned Natsu in exasperation.

'I dunno.' Replied Happy happily.

The two were now in sight of Cana and spotted her leaning against a tree.

'Oh, hey Cana, what are you doing here?' Asked Natsu cheerfully.

Cana quickly sat up and faked a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she did so, to remove any evidence of her crying.

'Oh, hi Natsu, I was just out her to relax and fell asleep, I'll head back to the guild now.' Said Cana, before walking up to Natsu and trying to pass him, only to feel him gently grip her right arm.

'Why were you crying?' Asked Natsu quietly.

'I wasn't crying Natsu, I was just taking a nap, sheesh, no need to worry.' Countered Cana, with a false cheeriness in her tone, which was easily spotted by Natsu.

'In that case, since you're well rested now, you can help me and Happy catch some fish.' Said Natsu happily.

'Aye, lots of fish.' Added Happy in excitement.

'Natsu, I don't really want to, besides, I should head back to the guild.' Protested Cana weakly, only to see Happy looking at her with a teary expression.

'Fish.' Whimpered Happy piteously, causing Cana's weak will to crumble.

'Fine. I suppose I can stay out for another hour or so.' Said Cana in defeat, after which Natsu released his grip on her arm.

'Great! I knew there was a reason I always bring a bunch of spare fishing rods with me.' Said Natsu, holding up four fishing rods.

'I can understand a spare, but why three?' Asked Cana curiously.

'In case I lose one fishing, break the other and can't find the third of course.' Replied Natsu, with a grin.

Cana didn't know how to respond to that and merely settled for sending Natsu a bemused look.

'Come on then, better not let those fish get away.' Said Natsu, with Happy cheering in agreement, as the two bottomless pits and reluctant addition, made their way to the edge of the stream. Natsu sat down in the middle of the two, with Happy on his right and Cana on his left.

After a few minutes, Natsu spoke up.

'So, Gildarts is back.' Said Natsu, trying to start conversation, only to see Cana flinch.

'Really? I didn't know.' Replied Cana calmly.

'I'm sure you must have just not heard the loud bells announcing his return.' Commented Natsu disbelieving.

Cana sighed and the trio lulled into silence again.

After Happy had caught a fish and decided to cut his losses and start eating his new source of food, Natsu turned to face Cana. The duo were still holding their rods out in the water.

'So, any reason you were crying?' Asked Natsu quietly.

'I wasn't crying.' Defended Cana.

'You know I'm a Dragon Slayer right? Our sense of smell is pretty strong and I…' Said Natsu, before trailing off towards the end.

Cana didn't turn to face him immediately, but when she saw Natsu's fishing rod pass by her, flowing down the stream, she turned to look at him.

'You… smell like Gildarts.' Said Natsu in shock, which caused Cana's eyes to widen and drop her fishing rod as well.

'What do you mean, he was at the guild, I'm sure everyone smells like Gildarts.' Said Cana nervously.

Natsu frowned at this.

'No, what I'm smelling is your unique scent, one that isn't changed by other people or things… and you smell a lot like Gildarts… in the same way Laxus smells like gramps.' Said Natsu firmly.

Cana didn't answer Natsu and Happy was now passed out, after gorging himself on his fish.

'Just forget about it Natsu.' Said Cana, as she stood up and tried to walk away, only to find Natsu had grabbed her wrist again, still sitting down.

'Is that why you were crying? Is it something to do with Gildarts?' Asked Natsu seriously, giving a small frown.

Cana pulled away slightly, before giving a small sigh and sitting back down, this time closer to Natsu, so that she was within arm's reach of him.

'Can you keep a secret Natsu?' Asked Cana quietly.

'Of course.' Said Natsu firmly.

'Gildarts… is my father.' Said Cana, after a moment, quickly closing her eyes, expecting some exuberant response from Natsu.

'Go on.' Said Natsu calmly, surprising Cana.

'Well, the thing is… Gildarts and I…' Said Cana hesitantly, before Natsu chimed in.

'Doesn't know that you are his daughter, right?' Asked Natsu quietly.

Cana was surprised that Natsu had deduced that so quickly, but nonetheless, gave a small nod of confirmation.

'Why wouldn't you tell him though?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Because I'm not good enough to be his daughter. Gildarts is the Ace of our guild and I'm just another random mage.' Answered Cana.

'Cana… Gildarts doesn't care about things like that.' Said Natsu softly, only to see Cana purse her lips unhappily.

'I mean, look at the way he treats all of us. He loves all of us and always tells us cool stories and everything, even if we are a lot weaker than him. Do you really think he cares how strong you are? He'd be really excited to know he has a real kid. I mean, I was a lot weaker than Igneel, but… he would always tell me how proud he was of me and how happy he was that I was so cheerful… even though he could flick me into a mountain.' Said Natsu, with his frown becoming more prominent.

Cana processed Natsu's words for a few moments, thinking over everything Natsu had said.

'But what if he doesn't want me? What if he doesn't care about me? What if he thinks I'm weak?' Questioned Cana quietly, only to hear rustling next to her, and feel Natsu grasp both her hands in his own.

'Then I'll help you get stronger. Even though I'm sure Gildarts would be happy to know he has a real kid, I think that the real problem is you don't feel ready to tell him that yet. In that case, I'll help you become so strong, that even Gildarts will take notice of you and then you can tell him the truth.' Said Natsu, giving the brunette a soft smile.

Cana looked at Natsu in shock, not knowing what to say.

'You see, I can keep a secret really well, in fact, I'm keeping a big one right now, from everyone in the guild and only two other people know about it in the whole world.' Said Natsu, giving Cana a conspiratorial wink.

Cana gave a small chuckle.

'What secret would that be Natsu, that you are secretly an angel or something?' Quipped Cana dryly.

'Or something sounds about right.' Said Natsu, giving a fanged grin.

Cana merely looked at Natsu in suspicion.

'Tell you what, let's make a bet.' Proposed Natsu.

'Why? What's the point of a bet?' Asked Cana in confusion.

'Betting is fun, you place yourself in uncertainty, only to either succeed or fail. It is one of the most objective things in the world, either you're right or you're wrong.' Said Natsu.

'Ok, so what's the bet then?' Asked Cana.

'Ok, since you told me your secret, I'll make a bet, that Gildarts, will accept you no matter what. If I'm wrong, and I'm pretty much one hundred percent sure I'm not, I'll tell you my secret, one that I can guarantee no one in the world knows, except for two people.' Said Natsu, with a wink.

'What do I get out of that?' Asked Cana, with a raised eyebrow.

'Well, this secret is really big, I can't even begin to explain how big… but if that's not enough for you, then you can pick something.' Said Natsu, with a small smirk.

'Fine, I'll accept that for now… but, what do you get if Gildarts does accept me?' Asked Cana curiously.

'I get to make sure you never cry about this again.' Said Natsu simply.

'How is that a prize for you?' Asked Cana, with a raised eyebrow.

'It just is.' Said Natsu, giving Cana another wink.

'Fine, I'll agree to the bet.' Conceded Cana.

'Great, so… want to tell Gildarts right now, or do you want to get stronger first, even though I'm sure it won't change anything?' Asked Natsu.

'Stronger first, even if you're right, I want to at least have more confidence in myself for when I do tell him eventually.' Said Cana.

'Alright then.' Said Natsu happily, before a bob of white hair appeared near the duo.

'Natsu! How mean of you, taking our son to see your mistress.' Huffed Lisanna.

'Eh? What do you mean?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'Lisanna stop that, it isn't funny.' Said Mirajane, with a tired sigh, as she appeared over the horizon and walked up to Lisanna, with Erza trailing behind her.

'In any case, Gildarts is heading off again. Natsu, you should head back to the guild if you want to see him off, not to mention the fact that I hear he is taking another long request, so it might be a while before he comes back.' Said Erza, who, after tracking down Lisanna for a chat, had went back to the guild, before setting out to find Natsu and bumped into the Strauss siblings on the way.

'Alright, let's go now then.' Said Natsu, as he carefully scoped up Happy and placed him on his head, before collecting Happy's fishing rod and the last remaining spare.

'And you laughed when I told you I had four fishing rods. I just lost two today.' Said Natsu, as he turned to face Cana.

'Okay, maybe you had a point.' Conceded Cana.

'Well, let's go see Gildarts off then.' Said Natsu, giving a wink to Cana.

'Natsu! You can't go winking at other girls in front of your wife.' Pouted Lisanna.

'Aw come on Lisanna, let's just go see Gildarts!' Cheered Natsu, before heading off, with Lisanna close behind.

Erza, Mira and Cana glanced at the backs of the two, before looking at each other.

'So did you guys figure out why she is calling us Natsu's mistresses?' Asked Cana curiously.

'No.' Said Mira and Erza together.

'Well, might as well head back to the guild anyway.' Said Cana, as she stood up and walked off, ponytail swinging slightly behind her, as she caught up with Natsu and Lisanna.

'I still say you are the one corrupting Lisanna.' Said Erza to her rival.

'Dream on rusty.' Quipped Mira, before walking off, with Erza following after her.

 _-line break-_

'Are you sure about this Gildarts? This is a dangerous job. You do realise your chances of success, don't you?' Questioned Makarov, as he stood outside the guild with his top mage.

'I do.' Replied Gildarts flatly.

'Is there any reason why you keep doing this to yourself? You keep taking the most dangerous missions we receive.' Pressed Makarov.

'I need to do this master. Doing these requests… it is important to me.' Said Gildarts firmly, which caused Makarov to sigh, knowing the discussion was over.

'Gildarts!' Shouted Natsu, as he jogged up to Gildarts, Happy on his head, with Lisanna and Cana trailing behind him.

'Yo, Natsu.' Said Gildarts, after realising Natsu wasn't going to rush him.

'So you're heading off already?' Questioned Natsu calmly, as Happy jumped off Natsu's head and waddled over to Lisanna.

'Yeah, might be going for a while too.' Said Gildarts cheerfully.

Natsu discreetly glanced at Cana, but she avoided his gaze and looked to the ground.

'Alright, in that case, promise me this. When you come back, you'll fight me. At full strength.' Said Natsu seriously.

'Natsu, you can't even beat me or tin-can over here, how are you going to stand any chance against Gildarts?' Questioned Mirajane mockingly.

Gildarts merely stared at Natsu, who matched his gaze.

'Alright.' Said Gildarts, shocking everyone.

'Gildarts you can't be serious!' Protested Makarov, his eyes widening to comical proportions.

'Until then.' Said Natsu, sticking his right first out to Gildarts, ignoring the exclamations from those around him.

Gildarts gently brushed his own right fist against Natsu's and gave a small smirk.

'Until then.' Said Gildarts, before walking off.

'Natsu, what are you doing? Are you trying to have every bone in your body crushed?' Questioned Erza harshly, as she walked up to Natsu.

'No Erza, it's simple.' Said Natsu, turning to face her.

'I'm going to be the strongest again.' Said Natsu calmly.

'Again? You weren't even the strongest once.' Commented Mira.

'Oh, in that case, from this point on, Natsu Dragneel will become the strongest mage in Fairy Tail, for the first time ever.' Corrected Natsu, with a smirk.

'You can do it Natsu. You have all of us on your side.' Cheered Lisanna.

'Alright then! Let's go train!' Declared Natsu in excitement, running off once again.

'So… are we going to follow him?' Asked Cana curiously.

'Aye!' Cheered Happy, before his tiny wings burst out of his back and he flew off after Natsu.

'Well, if the father and son are heading off, it is only right the wife follows. Of course the mistresses can come too.' Giggled Lisanna, before skipping off after Natsu and Happy.

'So… are we just going to accept being Natsu's mistresses or something?' Asked Cana curiously, causing both Erza and Mira to sigh.

'Well, no matter what we say to Lisanna, she seems to be fixated on it.' Muttered Erza.

'And I still can't figure out what made her think that either, to try and convince her otherwise.' Added Mira in an exasperated tone.

'…Well, mistress or not, I might as well follow after them, not much else to do around here.' Said Cana lazily, before following after the ramshackle couple and their son.

'Where is he? I know I heard flame brain a minute ago!' Exclaimed Gray, as he came running out of the guild.

'He went to train somewhere.' Supplied Makarov.

'Hehe, oh we'll train alright.' Chuckled Gray, cracking his fists, before making to head off.

'Gray! I don't want you starting a childish fight with Natsu, when he is trying to better himself.' Warned Erza.

'Relax, I'm going to train too.' Said Gray calmly.

"Train my fist into his face." Thought Gray, smirking internally.

'Very well, then I will come and supervise to ensure nothing uncouth occurs.' Declared Erza, crushing Gray's hopes at retaliation.

'Fine.' Grumbled Gray, before he and Erza headed off.

'Big sis, have you seen Lisanna?' Asked Elfman, as he exited the guild and walked up to his older sister.

'She went off… *sigh* I'll just take you there, especially since red will be there too.' Stated Mira in boredom.

As the remaining two Strauss siblings headed off, Makarov gave a small smile.

"Hmm, it seems Natsu's gathering quite a few, soon-to-be strong mages together… this can only go one of two ways… and I really hope they don't end up destroying the guild on a regular basis." Thought Makarov nervously, uncertain of what the future may bring.


	3. New Tricks

**So as a quick update, I'm focusing on TTONU, but I'm giving sporadic updates to the rest of my stories, when I get bored. Uni starts up for me again next month and I have no idea what it will be like. If you can support me on , please do so, as that will help me immensely.  
Also, just as a heads up, the E.N.D. style I'm using for this story is more of a playful demon, than a stern one. After all, demons can be tricksters too.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 3 – New Tricks

'So Natsu, what kind of training do you have planned?' Asked Lisanna curiously, eying Natsu, as he stood in the middle of the clearing.

'I was thinking of using another type of magic.' Said Natsu.

'Really, that's pretty ambitious.' Said Cana, arriving just in time to hear Natsu's declaration.

'Well not really, I'm basing it on some of the magic from the mages in our guild and I even have ideas for how to help us improve as well.' Explained Natsu.

'That's quite a good idea Natsu. Having a greater repertoire of magic would be helpful for most.' Commented Erza, arriving with Gray.

'Thanks, I even know which magic would suit which mage and once Mira and Elfman get here, I'll tell you what I came up with.' Said Natsu happily.

'How do you know Mira and Elfman are coming?' Asked Gray, with narrowed eyes.

'He is a Dragon Slayer frosty, forget that?' Quipped Mira, arriving with Elfman.

'All right, now that everyone is here, time to get serious.' Said Natsu seriously, cutting off Gray's retort and surprising the others at how serious he became.

'First, Lisanna, since you can transform into creatures that are generally not that strong in direct combat, you should learn a supplementary magic that works well with all of them. Since all of your transformations leave you with at least a mouth at all times, learning fire magic would be a great help, especially for your aerial based Take Overs, as that would really give you an edge. With the help of Gray and me, I'm sure we can help you master Fire Make magic.' Said Natsu, before continuing on, not letting anyone else speak.

'Next, Cana, your magic is very versatile, but it lacks a big punch. That's why, based on Mira's magic and… other things, I'm thinking of us teaching you Explosion magic, which will help give you an ace in the hole, in close combat.' Continued Natsu.

'Gray, all of your magic has limitless potential, since it is based on imagination, but sometimes, thinking inside the box might work better for you. Since I know you can make solid weapons, with the help of Erza, I think you should learn to use your ice to form swords, which you can wield properly, like Erza. This way, you'll be able to deal with bladed weapons yourself, while also giving you the ability to surprise anyone, who thinks you'd prefer long range combat and be hopeless in close range combat.' Added Natsu.

'Elfman, your magic is great for direct confrontation, but you don't really have any ranged abilities, which means you need to constantly expose yourself, in order to get up close. For that reason, I was thinking you could learn telekinesis magic, once again, from Erza. This would allow you to use whatever is around you for combat, providing a distraction, to let you get in close and deliver your knockout attack, without leaving yourself exposed.' Continued Natsu, before looking to the two female mages.

'Erza and Mira… you two are both pretty well rounded as things stand already. You both have short, mid and long range attacks, have great durability, speed and power, along with good supplementary magic, so there isn't really much the two of you need to improve on… although, the two of you do get tired rather quickly because of how demanding your magic is, not to mention, the two of you have really short tempers, which enemies could use to get the drop on you, even if they are weaker than you. For that reason, I think the best thing for the two of you, would be to increase your magical capacity and vent some of that built up tension through repeated magical battles.' Finished Natsu.

There was a long silence in the clearing, before it was broken by Lisanna.

'Wow Natsu, who would have thought you were so smart?' Praised Lisanna.

'Who the hell are you and what did you do to Natsu?' Shouted Mira in disbelief.

'What do you mean? I'm Natsu. I didn't do anything to myself.' Questioned Natsu in confusion.

'That runt was nowhere near this smart!' Affirmed Mira.

'I'm impressed Natsu, it seems my teachings were not wasted.' Said Erza proudly.

'Like hell you made Natsu that smart! Not even you could have analysed all of our respective magical abilities like that, pointed out weaknesses and then advised a way to cover them up so easily.' Refuted Mira.

'I'm with Mira on this. Flame brain is an idiot, this is clearly not flame brain.' Added Gray.

'Come on Gray, cut Natsu some slack, he might not have been the brightest tool in the shed for normal day-to-day things, probably due to being raised by a dragon, but he does do pretty well in most of his fights… when he takes them seriously.' Said Cana.

'Yeah, I'm not buying it. Natsu is supposed to be as dumb as the rocks he wants to teach Elfman to levitate.' Retorted Gray.

'Well, you two mostly only fight, so of course you'd say that.' Muttered Cana.

'I think Natsu is capable of being smart. He did get taught by a dragon, Erza and does spend a lot of time with Lisanna, I'm sure he must have picked up a few things along the way.' Added Elfman.

'Natsu, are you smart?' Asked Happy, from atop Natsu's head.

'Sure I am. I looked after you when you were in an egg all on my own after all. If I was dumb, I might have tried to cook you or something.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'In any case, whether Natsu is smart or not, he did make some excellent suggestions and I think we should listen to them. Gray, I will teach you how to wield a sword and I would be happy to help you learn Telekinesis, Elfman.' Said Erza kindly.

'I suppose we can help Lisanna, try and learn maker magic. Although I don't know how she is supposed to use it without hands, if she turns into a bird or something.' Said Gray.

'Leave that to me. I have something from a while back that should help, as well as something for all of you.' Said Natsu proudly.

'I suppose I can give Cana some pointers.' Added Mira, after a moment.

'Great, then let's get started. I'll need to get that thing first for Lisanna to use Maker magic without hands, so Gray, if you can just fill her in on the details behind Maker magic, that'd be a good start. As for Erza and Mira, why don't you two have a spar first, before you break off to help Cana and Elfman.' Suggested Natsu.

'Heh, can't wait for a chance to finally scrap the tin-can.' Said Mira confidently.

'Actually, I was thinking the two of you should team up against me.' Said Natsu, getting everyone to look at him in shock.

'That's too stupid even for flame brain! That's practically suicide!' Shouted Gray.

'Natsu, why do you want to make me a widow before we even get married?' Whined Lisanna, getting Mira and Erza to look at her for a moment, before giving a defeated sigh.

'Natsu, maybe you should reconsider.' Suggested Elfman.

'Nope, Erza and Mira fight each other all the time, but never seriously, so they've gotten too relaxed. If they face me though, they'll have to take me seriously, or they'll lose.' Said Natsu confidently.

'Hahaha, you've lost it Natsu! You can't even beat red, there is no way you can beat both of us.' Laughed Mira.

'Are you sure you can handle it, Natsu?' Asked Erza seriously, getting the others to look at her in shock.

'You're considering it? Has that metal around you rusted your brain?' Asked a gobsmacked Mira.

'No, but Master said that Natsu has been holding back in all of his fights. Natsu also confirmed that he doesn't take any of his fights seriously, so I think Natsu is hiding more than we think.' Explained Erza.

"Hehe, oh I'm hiding sooooo much more than any of you think, Erza." Thought Natsu in amusement.

'It's all right if you're scared Mira. You can sit things out and join in with Erza when you feel brave enough.' Taunted Natsu, getting Gray and Elfman to look at him like he had a death wish.

Mira's eye twitched rapidly, a smirk working its way onto her face.

'You really think you can touch me Natsu? I'll destroy you! Roared Mira, lunging at Natsu.

Happy quickly flew off Natsu's head, as Mira neared Natsu, flying over to Lisanna, before watching Mira's attack.

Mira had clenched her left fist and leapt high into the air, intent or clobbering Natsu's face into the dirt, only for Natsu to give a cheeky grin and move to the left, causing Mira's fist to miss him. However, Mira never reached the ground, as Natsu launched his own attack.

' **Fire Dragon's Iron Fist**!' Shouted Natsu, walloping Mira right into her barred midriff.

Mira felt a flaming fist make contact with her abdomen momentarily, before her world exploded in pain. Mira was launched back into the air and went soaring right past the others, crashing into a tree, leaving the rest, barring Erza, gobsmacked.

'So this is what master meant.' Said Erza analytically, giving a small nod, not in the least bit surprised her rival had been laid out.

'Don't forget about that temper Mira, it leaves you wide open for a counter!' Said Natsu cheekily, only for Mira to explode in purple energy.

She had donned a skimpy red one piece and gained several demonic features, such as claws and a tail. Natsu's observation stopped there though, as she quickly shot at him again. Natsu quickly jumped back, avoiding Mira's superman punch, which caused the spot he had just been standing on to be reduced to rubble.

'Come on Mira, you almost got me that time.' Teased Natsu, before jumping over Mira as she launched another superman punch.

'Feel free to join in anytime Erza.' Laughed Natsu, back flipping away from a claw swipe, courtesy of Mira.

Erza gave a small smile, before unsheathing her sword.

'Very well then, here I come.' Declared Erza, charging after Natsu.

'Natsu is going to die here today, there is no other possible outcome.' Said Gray, watching as Natsu started running away from an enraged devil, who was demolishing any tree that Natsu ducked behind to stall her, while also ducking and weaving under slashes from Erza's sword.

'I'm surprised big sis still hasn't got him.' Commented Elfman in surprise.

The group watched at Natsu ran away from the duo, laughing as he did so, occasionally launching a flaming fist at them when he could, but for the most part, only really dodged their attacks.

'Well, even if he gets pulverised today, I might as well start helping Lisanna, you know, in honour of his memory for when we bury him, after Mira and Erza tear him to shreds… mostly Mira though.' Said Gray.

'Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you Erza, I stole one of your cheesecakes the other day.' Said Natsu, causing the redhead to freeze.

'Scratch that, after both Mira and Erza equally tear him to shreds.' Amended Gray, once Erza had donned her Heaven's Wheel armour.

 _-line break-_

Somehow, after thirty minutes, these were the facts. Lisanna had a good grasp over the basics of Maker magic, Cana and Elfman were shocked, Gray was in disbelief and a panting Erza and Mira were exhausted.

'What's wrong? Tired already?' Taunted Natsu.

'This is rubbish! How the hell have we not landed a single hit on him?' Growled Mira deeply.

'Not to mention, he has landed a good dozen on both of us.' Huffed Erza.

'What's wrong? Want a break?' Asked Natsu curiously, enraging the duo.

'Natsu!' They both shouted, before lunging at Natsu.

Natsu jumped high over them, using flames to boost his jump, laughing as he did so.

'Try again!' Teased Natsu cheerfully, as he landed on the ground, before taking off running.

'I'm hungry.' Whined Happy suddenly, causing Natsu to suddenly stop in place, causing the two angry females to rush past him, as they had been preparing an attack for where he would have been, had he continued running.

'You know, now that you mention it, I'm hungry too. I'll go get some food. Erza, Mira, you two can help Cana and Elfman now, let's go Happy.' Said Natsu, grabbing his blue furred friend, before running off, leaving two exhausted female mages.

'H-how did we not get a single hit on him?' Questioned Mira in shock, breathing heavily, as she ended her transformation.

'I have no idea.' Added Erza, now wearing her previous clothes from before the fight.

 _-line break-_

'Ne, Natsu, why were you making Erza and Mira angry?' Asked Happy cutely.

'To help tire them out and make them realise that attacking in a blind rage is stupid.' Answered Natsu.

'Is that why you were laughing so much and smiling?' Asked Happy.

'Yep.' Said Natsu happily.

'Ne, Natsu, can we get more fish?' Asked Happy, drooling into Natsu's hair.

'Okay, but only a few. I don't think the others will like fish, so I'll grab something else as well, but first, I need to grab something from home.' Said Natsu amicably.

Natsu and Happy entered their home, a simple one, built by Natsu himself. It was located deep in the forest, so no one other than the two of them knew where it was.

'Now, let's see. Where did I leave those things?' Muttered Natsu to himself, rubbing his chin in thought.

Happy, meanwhile, had decided to get a bit more sleep, seeing as fish would be coming soon.

'I think I left them in the chest.' Said Natsu quietly, before walking over to a treasure chest that was as big as him, before opening it.

'No, no, no, hmm, I might have some fun with these actually.' Said Natsu, searching through his chest, before pocketing two objects which were identical in size and shape, before continuing to rummage deeper into the chest, his feet almost leaving the floor, as he buried his head and shoulders into it, unintentionally dropping Happy into it.

'Aha, gotcha!' Exclaimed Natsu, pulling out a wad of, what appeared to be, rubber bands.

'Now just a few adjustments.' Muttered Natsu, before clenching his fists around the rubber bands, enveloping them in a warm orange glow, before relaxing his grip, revealing the bands once again.

The bands now appeared to be made of metal and had tiny little flame-like motifs running along them. The bands themselves were now black and the flame like motifs were in yellow.

'All right Happy, let's go get some fish.' Declared Natsu.

'Fish!' Exclaimed Happy, leaping out of the treasure chest and startling Natsu.

'When did you get in there?' Asked Natsu in shock.

'I dunno.' Said Happy, before something soft and green fell on his head and covered his vision.

'Natsu, what's this?' Asked Happy, holding out the piece of cloth.

'Hmm, I forgot about that thing… tell you what Happy, that thing can be yours from now on. It will protect you from attacks and you can keep fish in it for later as well.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'Fish…' Drooled Happy, before wrapping the cloth around his back, forming a backpack, tying it off under his neck and in the process, forming a bow tie of sorts.

'Let's go then.' Said Natsu, with Happy cheerfully jumping onto his head.

'Aye sir!' Cheered Happy.

 _-line break-_

'Wow Cana, you're picking this stuff up really quickly.' Commented Mira.

'Thanks, but it isn't that special, I'm kind of basing it off someone else's magic.' Explained Cana modestly.

'Gildarts right?' Smirked Mira, causing Cana to freeze thinking the link between the two had been discovered by the demon.

'Truth is, I wanted to copy the old man's magic as well, but my magic is restricted to the demons I Take Over, so all my attacks become darkness based. Gildarts' magic is neutral though, so I just can't recreate it, but you've come really close. It must help that Card Magic is neutral as well.' Explained Mira.

'What do you mean neutral?' Asked Gray, having wandered over during Mira's explanation.

'Magic is aligned on a scale, Gray, this is definitely something you should know since you use ice.' Mocked Mira.

'Look, just explain it already. I know you're smarter than me, so just get to the point.' Grumbled Gray.

'Aw, well since you asked so nicely, I will. All magic is broken down into a few classes, elemental, which has its own scale, so let's not go into that, light magic, dark magic, neutral magic and everything in between. For instance, my magic is closer to dark magic, while Cana's would be neutral. Then you've got light magic, things like Fairy Law. Elemental magic can be grouped into these things as well, but like I said, it gets complicated. For instance, you use ice, which is elemental, but also a type of light magic, while Natsu uses fire, which is also elemental, but neutral at the same time.' Explained Mira.

'Why would fire be neutral?' Asked Cana curiously.

'Fire is neutral because it can both create and destroy. Ice can only create and can't destroy. It is similar to lightning, which can also both create and destroy.' Answered Mira.

'How can lightning create?' Questioned a stupefied Gray.

'Look, let's not go into the real specifics here, it'll go way over your head anyway.' Said Mira.

'What's that supposed to mean?' Asked Gray, with narrowed eyes.

'It means you're dumb, ice pop!' Shouted Natsu, arriving at the clearing with a big round box in his hands, with a few bands on top of it, while Happy rested on his head.

'Well, yeah. I'm surprised you could figure that out thought Natsu.' Said Mira.

'I'm full of surprises!' Declared Natsu happily, before setting down his cargo and grabbing the bands.

'Now, before we get to the food, I've got something for all of you.' Said Natsu happily.

'What's that Natsu?' Asked Lisanna happily.

'These.' Said Natsu triumphantly, holding the bands in his outstretched hands.

'Bracelets? Kind of girly for you Natsu.' Teased Mira.

'They're not bracelets… here, just put it on.' Grumbled Natsu, walking over to Mira and sticking a band in her face.

'Don't get pushy with me Natsu. I bet I can wallop you this time.' Threatened Mira.

'Just put it on and you can try to beat me up later if you don't like it. Try that is, but you won't catch me.' Said Natsu cheekily.

Mira glared at Natsu momentarily, before obliging him and slipped the band over her right hand. Mira blinked in shock as she felt a strange energy wash over her.

'See, pretty cool, right?' Pressed Natsu.

'What is this thing?' Asked Mira in shock, getting Erza and Elfman to walk over as well.

'Think of it like a magical enhancer, except it is permanent and won't run out.' Explained Natsu.

'Natsu, where did you find something like this?' Asked Erza curiously.

'I made them. It was something I came up with a really long time ago, back around the time I was with Igneel. I just forgot about them. They were in my treasure chest, so I went searching for them, to give to all of you.' Said Natsu proudly.

'You made this?' Asked Mira in disbelief.

'Hey, what's with that look? I built my own house, didn't I? I'm good at making things and destroying them.' Said Natsu defensively.

'Hmm.' Hummed Erza, before taking one of the bands and trying it on.

Erza immediately felt a surge of power, just like Mira had.

'That's impressive.' Said Erza in surprise.

'I know, right? Plus, these things don't just give you a boost in power, they can help with other things as well. If Lisanna uses this thing, she'll be able to use Maker magic without her hands.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

'No way! That's impossible! One handed magic is hard enough, but no hands is ridiculous.' Denied Gray.

'Just wait and see.' Said Natsu confidently.

The rest of them grabbed a band each and put them on, all feeling a boost of power. Elfman then tried to levitate a nearby rock and then to his shock, accidently dislodged the tree behind it.

'Um, yeah, you need to practise to control the boost they give you though, otherwise things like that will happen.' Said Natsu sheepishly.

'Do you have one as well, Natsu?' Asked Lisanna, after she put her band on.

'Yeah, but I wasn't planning on ever wearing them, but since I'm going to be the strongest, I've changed my mind.' Said Natsu, gesturing to his wrist, which had a black band around them each.

'Why do you have two, Natsu?' Asked Cana.

'Oh, that's because these ones are special. Igneel and I made them together, so they help boost my fire magic specifically, watch.' Said Natsu, before pulling something out of his pants in a flash and shot his hand out to the side, before a bullet of fire was shot out and pierced right through a tree.

The group looked back at Natsu, who was blowing smoke off what was in his hand.

'Is that a gun Natsu?' Asked Erza curiously.

'Yep, I figured since you were all going to learn new things, I'd try something new as well. I'll probably keep them out of the guild though, since they're pretty powerful and not really for a friendly scrap.' Said Natsu cheerfully, before putting his gun away.

It was only for a moment, but Erza saw what they looked like. It was a strange looking black handgun, very unusual compared to the weapons used by most gun oriented mages. They had a sleek design and the only bit of colour was two silver markings on the side of the barrel and just above the trigger, along with a small node of silver on the barrel of the gun, directly over the trigger. There were five segmented lines on the lower half of the barrel and a small protrusion on the top half of the barrel, out of which, the fire bullet had been shot.

'When did you get guns? Who the hell would sell an idiot like you guns anyway?' Asked Gray.

'Made them myself.' Said Natsu, sticking his tongue out at Gray.

'There aren't even any bullets in them, I make the bullets with my magic.' Added Natsu.

'Since would could you make so many things by yourself, Natsu? Especially considering I needed to teach you how to read only a short while ago.' Questioned Erza.

Natsu gave a small shudder, before answering.

'I don't need to know how to read to make stuff. Do houses come with instructions? You just make sure you build it properly and it's fine.' Said Natsu calmly.

'Firstly, houses come with blueprints, which are instructions. Secondly, if that's the case, I'm never going to your house, the thing would probably collapse on me.' Said Mira sneakily.

'Well you weren't invited anyway.' Huffed Natsu.

'Now, since I helped you two out before, what do you say about you two helping me practise with these?' Said Natsu, pulling out, not only the gun he had used previously, but a second identical handgun.

'What do you mean practise?' Asked Erza.

'I need moving targets.' Said Natsu.

'Yeah… I'm going to pass on that.' Said Cana warily, looking at the hole in the tree.

'Don't worry, I'll weaken the bullets so they don't shoot right through you… they might sting a little though.' Said Natsu.

'I-I'll just practise controlling my magic over there I think.' Said Elfman nervously.

'Yeah, I'll help Lisanna with her Maker magic.' Said Gray, not wanting to entertain being a target for his rival.

'Bring it on Natsu, you won't land a single hit on me.' Said Mira confidently.

'I would be happy to help you out as well.' Said Erza.

'All right then, on three.' Said Natsu, somersaulting back and putting his guns away.

'Maybe we should move guys.' Suggested Cana, to which the others nodded.

'Why'd you put them away Natsu? Scared? Are you going to cry?' Teased Mira.

'One.' Said Natsu.

'I'm coming too.' Said Happy, flying off Natsu's head.

'Two.' Continued Natsu.

Erza crouched down and Mira simply looked on unafraid.

'Three!' Shouted Natsu, before quickly pulling his handguns out and aiming them at the duo.

Erza managed to leap away in time, but Mira had been caught off guard by Natsu's quick draw and took a flaming bullet to her chest.

'Ah, what the hell Natsu? That burned like hell!' Shouted Mira.

'Better dodge the next one then.' Said Natsu coolly, raising his left handgun to the side and firing a shot, causing Erza to gasp in surprise.

'You're free to try and counterattack, but I don't know if you want to get too close, it makes dodging harder.' Said Natsu teasingly, as Erza had just barely dodged the bullet, which had soared by her face.

'Now, let's have some fun.' Smirked Natsu, before letting loose a firestorm of bullets, which the two female mages were hard pressed to dodge.

'Yeah, we made the right choice sitting this out.' Muttered Cana nervously, seeing Natsu land hit after hit against the two.

After five minutes of shooting, Natsu decided to stop.

'All right, that's enough for now. We should go eat the food I got everyone, before it goes cold.' Said Natsu.

'Man, you completely trashed my clothes Natsu.' Complained Mira, looking at her top, which was now riddled with tiny holes.

'Hmph, I hardly call what you wear to be clothing, midriff barring wench.' Quipped Erza.

'Well sorry tin-can, but not all of us want to look like a pack of sardines.' Retorted Mira.

'What'd you say?' Shouted Erza, slamming her head against Mira's.

'You heard me.' Shouted Mira, pushing against Erza.

'Well, if you two still have that much energy, how about this.' Said Natsu, before a clicking sound was heard from his position, causing the two to look at him, still pressing their cheeks against each other's.

'Look, I can make the two handguns turn into a sniper rifle, which shoots bullets that are twice as strong.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

The gun now had a much longer nozzle, as the two handguns had merged into one longer firearm. The butt of the gun had also lengthened considerably, making the weapon much longer than it had been previously. The red dot that appeared on Erza's face quickly shifted over to Mira's, before moving back to Erza's.

'I'll be a lot more accurate this time, if you want me to.' Said Natsu ominously.

Erza and Mira both looked at Natsu nervously for a moment.

'Or we could just eat, I'm starving after all!' Exclaimed Natsu, swinging his gun off to the side.

'S-sure, let's eat, we need to keep our strength up after all.' Said Erza nervously.

'Yeah, a snack sounds good.' Added Mira, with a forced grin.

'Great, I'm really starving.' Said Natsu, disassembling his rifle, turning it back into dual handguns in a series of clicks, before hiding them away somewhere.

'Well, let's eat!' Cheered Natsu, as he opened the box he had brought with him, pulled out a bento, before digging into it, seemingly oblivious to the befuddled looks everyone was giving him.

 **In case you are wondering, Natsu's guns are based on the Red Hood's guns from Arkham Knight, if you want a better picture, just google them.**


	4. Feeling is Believing

**To begin with, I would like to give a big thank you to my latest patron. They are also the reason this story got two quick updates in such a short amount of time, as it was my way of saying thank you, since they wanted this story updated. After this though, prepare for more TTONU. Once again though, other stories will be updated sporadically, but TTONU will be updated consistently.**

 **About half of a chapter for AMH is written and I made a brief start on another chapter for HOD, but that is all so far. I've finally gotten a boost for TTONU, so I will be writing more for it as well, as the first two chapters I wrote were a bit of an effort to write, considering I've been reading close to zero Naruto fanfics lately. I'll also try and get a few updates for WHBTS, as it has received pretty good reception and I do enjoy writing it quite a bit. I also might switch over to AJPD for a bit as well, as I have a really good idea for it that is just begging to be written.**

 **The others are kind of lower on the priority list, but I do want to update TBTB soon…**

 **In any case, back to WOF. I'm working my way through their childhood and the time-skips will start next chapter. There will be a skip to the S-Class trials (the ones in X779, not X784), then to X781, after both Mira and Erza are S-Class. On that subject, I mistakenly referred to Mira and Erza as S-Class mages in the last chapter, when they are not. I've changed it now, so if you didn't notice that, don't worry, but now it is correct.**

 **After that, I'll be playing out my original pre-canon arc, which will also explain more about Natsu's past and how he knows/has, the various things that he does. With that said, I'd say we will get to canon by maybe… chapter 10… give or take a chapter or two. I'll try to keep things brief, so as to not bore you with pre-canon stuff, but some things need to be shown, as they are important to the story.**

 **Well, with all of that said, enjoy the chapter!  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 4 – Feeling is Believing

The Natsu Search Party had put in a hard day of training after their lunch and then went their separate ways. Natsu had told the others to be back again at nine sharp and if they were late, they would help him with shooting practise. Needless to say, everyone was there by nine.

'Okay Lisanna, now it is time for me to help you use Maker magic without hands.' Said Natsu happily.

'And I say flame brain is off his rocker.' Added Gray.

Mira, meanwhile, was helping Cana with her Explosion magic and Erza was coaching Elfman on how to control his telekinesis. Happy was simply sitting on Natsu's head, taking a snooze.

'Just trust me ice cube, I know what I'm doing. Okay, Lisanna, first thing I want you to do is watch this.' Said Natsu, holding his left hand out in front of her.

Lisanna stared at Natsu's hand in confusion, before it was engulfed in flames.

'That is fire magic which is similar to Fire Make magic, but not the same. The idea is the same, using your imagination to control your magic, but you mould your magic differently. Maker magic uses a magic circle, but this way, you don't need the magic circle, which is why you can use it without hands. I call it: Elemental magic.' Said Natsu proudly.

'So it isn't maker magic then?' Queried Gray.

'Well, aside from not needing to use your hands, it is basically the exact same thing.' Answered Natsu.

'Ok then Natsu, how do I do this then?' Asked Lisanna cheerfully.

'Firstly, imagine there is a fire in the pit of your belly… it helps if you close your eyes.' Said Natsu.

Lisanna promptly closed her eyes and scrunched her nose up in concentration.

'That's it.' Said Natsu softly, moving closer to Lisanna and setting his hand on fire.

Gray saw Natsu nearing Lisanna and was about to speak, before Natsu quickly rounded on him, almost knowing he was about to speak and used his left hand, which wasn't on fire, to bring his index finger to his lips in a silent shushing motion. Natsu slowly placed his right hand just over Lisanna's navel, just barely avoiding her clothes.

'I feel it.' Said Lisanna.

'Okay, now, here is what you do. Focus on the fire, feel it flowing throughout your body, your arms, your legs, even along your fingertips. Feel it wash over you.' Said Natsu almost hypnotically.

Lisanna did as Natsu said and felt the heat spread around her, all the while, Natsu was slowly moving his right hand, which was now aflame, around her body.

'Now, here is the tricky part, control the fire. Form it into a line of fire and push it through your mouth. Just imagine the fire rising from your belly, up your throat and out of your mouth.' Continued Natsu, moving his hand to just below Lisanna's chin.

'Control the heat, control the fire and expel it.' Said Natsu, as he quickly moved away from Lisanna, defusing the flames around his hands as he did so.

To Gray's shock, Lisanna then opened her mouth and shot out a small stream of fire.

'Awesome work Lisanna, you did it!' Cheered Natsu.

Lisanna opened her eyes and noticed the trunk of a nearby tree was charred.

'I did it?' Asked Lisanna in surprise.

'Yep, you really did it!' Exclaimed Natsu.

'That's so cool Natsu. You're a great teacher.' Praised Lisanna.

'Thanks, but you're a quick learner. You controlled that fire like a professional. Now all you have to do is experiment with it.' Said Natsu happily.

Natsu then walked away, making his way to Mira and Cana, only for Gray to follow him.

'What the hell was that flame brain?' Whispered Gray harshly.

'Magic is believing Gray. If you feel something and think it is yours, you magic won't deny it. Magic resonates with other magic, all you need is imagination and a little bit of belief to control any magic. Mages aren't restricted to one type of magic after all. The important part is not blocking things off in your mind. You'll never learn fire magic, because you know ice magic and you won't believe you can learn it, so you won't. Lisanna on the other hand, didn't believe either way, so I just gave her a push.' Explained Natsu calmly.

'How exactly do you know that?' Asked Gray suspiciously.

'Igneel told me of course. How do you think a Dragon Slayer learns their magic? It all comes down to your belief. If a dragon tells you that you can learn its magic, you will. Especially if you don't know any other magic before that. Dragon Slaying magic works by being like a dragon, eventually, with enough time and interactions with an actual dragon, you'll pick up the magic, if you try hard enough. The trick is finding a dragon that won't outright kill you, or just leave you.' Answered Natsu.

Gray just looked at Natsu in confusion, before wandering off to Erza. Natsu then made his way over to Mira and Cana, who looked to be discussing something.

'Hey Cana, how's it going so far?' Asked Natsu, only for Mira to answer.

'Turns out Cana is a natural at this. She'll be better than me at this rate.' Said Mira in surprise.

'Really? In that case, why don't you let me take over for now?' Asked Natsu.

'You… okay then, let's see what you can do.' Said Mira in disbelief.

'Okay, firstly, what do you understand about Explosion magic so far?' Asked Natsu.

'That you gather your magic and destabilise it to produce a burst of energy.' Said Cana simply.

'Right, now here is the tricky part: how do you control the explosion?' Asked Natsu, getting confused glances from both Mira and Cana.

'You don't control an explosion, Natsu. That defats the point of it being an explosion… what are you, stupid?' Mocked Mira.

'That does sound weird Natsu.' Added Cana in agreement.

Natsu grumbled in annoyance to himself before walking over to a tree and slapping his palm against it.

'Okay then. Now then, Mira, since I'm sooo dumb and you're sooo smart, explain how to do a time delayed explosion?' Said Natsu grandiosely.

'You can't that's the…' Started Mira, before Natsu flared his magic and the tree behind him exploded, sending woodchips and dust flying into the air.

'…point.' Finished Mira in shock.

'You were saying?' Teased Natsu, with a cheeky grin.

'How the hell did you do that?' Demanded Mira.

'Guess.' Said Natsu seriously.

Mira just looked at him in shock, opening her mouth a few times to speak, only to close it when she had no answer.

'Cana? Any ideas?' Asked Natsu, only for Cana to shake her head, causing Natsu to sigh.

'Fine, I'll explain. Now, you both understand that an explosion is caused by destabilising magic, right?' Asked Natsu, only for both of them to nod.

'So if magic destabilising causes the explosion, keeping the magic stable prevents the explosion.' Said Natsu.

'Well obviously, but how does that apply here?' Asked Mira.

'What I did, was inject magic into the tree, but not destabilise it right away. There are two ways Explosion magic can be used. The first, is with a time delay, the second is with an instantaneous burst. I want Cana to learn the instantaneous one because even though she could, say, place magic in her cards and then cause them to explode, it isn't all that different to what Cana can already do. Add to the fact that channelling magic into a person, is much harder than channelling it into a card or a tree, so it won't really help her for close combat fights anyway, unless she is willing to possibly take a hit or two. In any case, the time delayed explosion works by keeping a living link to your magic once it leaves you and then destabilising it after some time, when you want an explosion.' Explained Natsu.

'That sounds really complicated, Natsu.' Pointed out Cana.

'I know, which is why I don't want you to bother with it. Not that you couldn't do it if you wanted to, but I just had something different in mind.' Said Natsu.

'What then?' Asked Mira.

'This.' Said Natsu, rearing his fast back and slamming it into another tree, which exploded once Natsu struck it, getting gobsmacked looks from the other two.

'It is way easier to channel your own magic and simply destabilise it on the point of impact.' Said Natsu cheerfully.

Mira was the first to regain herself and shook her head for a moment, before adopting an outraged expression.

'How the hell do you know all of this stuff anyway?' Asked Mira.

'Well, I had a friend in the past who used time delayed explosions and I had a long discussion with him on why instantaneous explosions are better. He didn't listen to me, but I still beat him when we fought.' Explained Natsu happily.

'How did you do all of this stuff? Aren't you like twelve?' Asked Mira.

'Just because I look like I'm twelve, doesn't mean I'm twelve. You're thirteen aren't you? Well you still look like a little kid as well.' Said Natsu indignantly, sticking out his tongue.

'Why you… little brat.' Growled Mira.

'What's the matter Mira? Want to help me with shooting practise?' Asked Natsu in faux ignorance, pulling his guns out of… somewhere and levelling the right one at Mira.

Mira glared at the weapon in annoyance, before pursing her lips.

'No.' Said Mira sourly.

'In that case, I'll keep explaining Explosion magic.' Said Natsu happily.

'Now, to do this, Cana, you first need to recognise the flow of your magic. In order to destabilise it, you need to go in the opposite direction of this flow, which is the hard part. The explosion works like this. First, you flow the magic to the point of impact normally. Secondly, you make the magic at the point of impact flow in the opposite direction, back against the flow of your magic. Lastly, this is the tricky part too, you need to expel the magic flowing in the opposite direction, along with the magic flowing in the normal direction, together. This way, the two blobs of magic mix in the outside and cause a big explosion. If you can do that, the whole thing becomes really easy. You'll probably end up wasting a lot of magic at the start though, but that's what the band is for.' Said Natsu calmly.

'Oh, I forget to tell you guys!' Shouted Natsu suddenly, gaining everyone's attention.

'You can also change the bands to your liking. I just keep mine like this because I think it looks cool. All you have to do is focus on the band, use a bit of magic and it will change to whatever you want.' Said Natsu.

Mira looked at her wrist and the band instantly warped into a metal band. Cana looked at hers and turned it into a metal bracelet.

'I'll keep mine like this, it was a gift from you after all.' Said Lisanna happily.

'As will I. A gift from a friend should be kept as it was from the beginning.' Added Erza.

Gray changed his into a metal bracelet as well.

'I'll keep it like this as well I guess, I'm not very creative.' Said Elfman.

'Alright, with that out of the way, anyone want to help me with target practise?' Asked Natsu cheerfully, only for everyone to avoid his gaze.

'Aw come on. Please! I'll make the bullets really, really weak.' Whined Natsu.

The group continued to avoid his gaze.

'Fine then, Happy, let's go train, you can help me.' Said Natsu, to the drowsy cat on his head.

'Natsu! You can't shoot bullets at our son like that! It's dangerous!' Said an alarmed Lisanna.

'I'm not going to shoot at Happy, I'll get him to fly in the air and drop things for me to shoot. This way he can get stronger at carrying things too. What do you take me for Lisanna? I'm not going to hurt my friends.' Said Natsu in shock.

'Oh, okay then.' Said Lisanna happily, causing the others to look at them weirdly.

'Let's go Happy! We can get fish after this as well!' Cheered Natsu.

'Aye sir!' Cheered Happy energetically, before the duo headed off, leaving the others.

'So, are you two afraid of Natsu now or something?' Asked Lisanna mischievously, looking to her sister and Erza.

'Hah! Me? Scared of Natsu? Don't be absurd Lisanna.' Scoffed Mira.

'Of course not.' Added Erza.

Lisanna kept her playful expression. After a moment, a gunshot was heard followed by a bang and both Mira and Erza flinched.

'Oh, you two really fooled me.' Giggled Lisanna, with an impish expression.

 _-line break-_

The group of six mages and flying cat had continued their training for the next few months and all had found themselves growing stronger and unknowingly, much closer with each other.

Erza and Mira still fought, but it was more playful than anything… at least until the insults started flying.

Gray had also mellowed out, but still didn't believe Natsu could be this smart.

Elfman had also started to gain more confidence in himself and had started to try and better himself, as a man.

Lisanna was still as mischievous as ever, but could now shoot fire from her mouth along with her sass.

Speaking of shooting, Natsu had absolutely impeccable aim now, able to hit a falling stone, dropped by Happy, hundreds of metres away, right in the centre.

Happy had also gotten a lot stronger and a little bit bigger, now being able to carry Natsu himself for a few minutes.

Lastly, Cana had finally gotten the hang of Explosion magic and could now shatter a tree with a single hit, just like Natsu had done months ago. All in all, the group had flourished in their training, something their secret observer, Makarov Dreyar, was very happy about.

It had been another good day of training for the group. Mira, Lisanna and Elfman had left ten minutes ago, heading home, so Mira could get started on dinner.

Gray had left a few minutes after that, wanting to take a nap, having tired himself out a lot that day.

Only a minute ago, Erza had headed back to the guild, wanting to go on a quick job to earn some jewels, for a new set of armour that had caught her eye.

This left Natsu alone with Cana and Happy, who was contently dozing on Natsu's head, as the two had finished their training and Natsu was just examining Cana's magical output when she used her Explosion magic.

'I've got to say Cana, you've gotten really good at that. You don't waste any magic at all anymore, which is awesome, considering you only started learning it a few months ago.' Praised Natsu.

'It was either that or repeated magical exhaustion.' Muttered Cana quietly, unaware that Natsu had heard her anyway.

'In any case, let's call it a day and go fishing.' Said Natsu happily.

'Mmm, Natsu, I want fish.' Mumbled Happy sleepily, not quite awake yet, but starting to stir at the mention of fish.

'Again? Sure, why not.' Said Cana, after some thought.

'Awesome. I even got a new bunch of spare fishing rods this time as well.' Said Natsu proudly.

'How many did you get this time?' Asked Cana curiously.

'Eight. One for each of us, just in case.' Said Natsu happily.

Cana merely smiled in amusement, before following after Natsu.

'So, do you think you've gotten stronger now, Cana?' Asked Natsu, as they walked through the forest.

'Sure, I guess, why do you ask?' Questioned Cana curiously.

'Well, what do you think about having a chat with Gildarts?' Asked Natsu.

Cana didn't respond for a while, causing Natsu to look at her curiously.

'I want to be S-Class first… like him.' Said Cana quietly.

'*sigh* You know, you are just making it harder on yourself.' Said Natsu, causing Cana to look down slightly.

'But, I said I'd help you and I will, until you feel ready to tell him yourself.' Finished Natsu, causing Cana to softly smile at him.

'Thanks Natsu.' Said Cana.

'What are friends for?' Questioned Natsu rhetorically.

'Well, as far as friends go, you doing an awful lot. Most people wouldn't put in this much effort into things.' Pointed out Cana.

'Well, I'm not most people, am I? After all, how many people can eat fire like nothing?' Quipped Natsu.

Cana nodded her head in agreement.

'Good point.' Said Cana, just as the two finally reached the same fishing spot as before.

The two sat down on the side, and threw out their lines, waiting for the fish to start biting.

'So Cana, what do you think about your new magic?' Asked Natsu, making conversation as they waited patiently.

'It's pretty interesting. I never did think about close combat magic, but I can't deny it is useful. That being said, how do you know about all of these different types of magic?' Asked Cana curiously.

'That's part of the secret.' Said Natsu impishly.

'Really? Must be some secret then.' Said Cana in surprise.

'Believe me, it is one hell of a secret.' Snickered Natsu.

'Well, secret aside, if you knew all of this stuff in the past, why'd you always act so naïve?' Asked Cana curiously.

'Well, that is also part of the secret… but I can say a little bit I guess.' Said Natsu, getting Cana to look at him searchingly.

'Well?' Prompted Cana.

'Think about it like this, if I was a dragon, but didn't want people to be scared of me, wouldn't the best way to do so, be to act nothing like a dragon?' Questioned Natsu.

'I guess, but you're not a dragon… are you?' Replied Cana.

'No, I was just using that as an example. Anyway, the point I was making, was that if I acted like those stuffy adults, I wouldn't be able to have fun with all of you. Maybe I was a bit too cheerful, but that's just the kind of person I am.' Elaborated Natsu.

'Why don't you just act normal?' Asked Cana.

'Cana, when it comes down to it, what is normal? I mean, we use magic. That alone already makes us abnormal. Normal is boring and life should be fun. That's why I want to help you talk to Gildarts because once you do, you'll be a lot happier.' Said Natsu, giving a fanged grin.

Cana was silent at that and Natsu didn't speak further, allowing their conversation to come to a halt, as they continued to fish in silence. As the sun started to dip below the horizon, Natsu pulled his line out of the water.

'Well, we might as well eat a few of these, before it gets too dark.' Said Natsu, referring to their recent catches.

'Fish!' Exclaimed Happy happily, before jumping off Natsu's head and grabbing a fish.

Natsu grabbed a few sticks from the ground and placed a few in a pile in the centre, while impaling some of the fish through their mouths with the others, placing them around the pile, embedding them into the ground. Natsu then gave a quick exhale, launching a small stream of fire at the pile, causing it to burst into a crackling fire, which slowly cooked the fish.

The group ate in silence, until Happy passed out from gorging himself on fish again.

'So Cana, do you think you'll get recommended for the trials this year?' Asked Natsu.

'Probably not. I know we've improved a lot, but we still aren't strong enough. Besides, it'll probably be Laxus this year, he's gotten really strong as of late.' Said Cana.

'Yeah, that sounds about right, but I'm sure next year will be your shot for sure. Laxus might be strong, but you have a lot more range. Besides, if we keep the training up, you'll be really powerful soon enough. Explosions are powerful after all.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'What about you, Natsu? Do you want to be S-Class?' Asked Cana.

'Eh, not really.' Said Natsu, rubbing his chin in thought.

'Why not, didn't you want to be the strongest? Being S-Class means you are recognised as being strong?' Asked Cana inquisitively.

'I see… so that's why you want to be S-Class.' Said Natsu, causing Cana to giggle slightly.

'Yeah, I guess you caught me, but still, why wouldn't you want to be S-Class?' Asked Cana curiously.

'Okay then, how about this? I'll become S-Class when you do, sound fair?' Proposed Natsu.

'But Master only ever has one mage become S-Class each year.' Pointed out Cana.

'Well, I'll just have to change his mind when the time comes then.' Said Natsu optimistically.

'If you say so.' Said Cana in amusement.

'Just you wait Cana, we'll be the first dual S-Class mage graduates in Fairy Tail history!' Exclaimed Natsu brightly.

'Ah, now you've even got me believing you. All right then, we'll do it together.' Agreed Cana happily.

"Hmm, maybe I can make one exception when the time comes." Thought Makarov happily, observing his two mages from a distance, with a content smile on his face, at the deepening bonds of friendship between them. 

**Now, considering I'll be starting Uni by the time of my next update, which hopefully won't take too long to come out, I've decided on a nice little Kyuubi's corner, as I prepare to focus more on reading, than writing, in the coming months. Just quickly though, don't mistake this for me not writing anymore, it just means given how much time I'll spend on public transport and studying, I'll have a lot more time to read than I will to write.**

 **Anyway, the issue this time is… the mind numbing Fiore/Magnolia opening.**

 **To begin with, we've all seen the anime (or at least one episode). We know Fiore is a neutral country. We know it has a population of 17 million. We know it is a land of magic. We know some people use this magic to earn money. Blah, blah, blah, we know. It was bad enough the anime kept putting this in for the first few episodes, but do we really need to read about it, in the first chapter of hundreds of fanfics? I mean, a line or two, something along the lines of "Fiore, a land of magic, the home of Fairy Tail and the place where our journey begins." is enough. I get the need for a brief intro, but rehashing the anime opening intro is just tedious.**

 **I mean, anyone reading fanfics has at least seen a few episodes/chapters of the original media, so the same opening from the media is wholly unnecessary.**

 **It adds literally nothing to the story, aside from a couple of words. No new information. No indication on what path the story will take. Nothing.**

 **Now, if you want to start the story in Bosco, or Alvarez for example and then have the character go to Fiore, then the introduction would have some use, especially if you described Bosco or Alvarez previously and are now juxtaposing the two. That would be the appropriate thing to do… but for stories that start in Fiore and stay in Fiore, it is just pointless.**

 **In any case, any story that starts with this intro, sucks just a little bit of my enthusiasm for the story, right out of me. Sometimes, the story is great and sometimes it isn't, but reading the same thing hundreds of times over and over really gets tedious after a while.**

 **Well, that wraps up this edition of Kyuubi's corner. See you all next chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**


	5. Dual S-Class

**Well, I actually don't have a lot to say today, but a few things were mentioned to me in PMs, in particular, the pairing. Basically, would any of you be interested in Meredy, Angel or Sayla, joining the possible harem? The total number of people who can be added to this harem, are rather few and these three could be added if I was so inclined. I haven't put them in the poll, as that wasn't my original intention for them, but I can easily modify things. The original plan was more of an older sibling relationship, between Natsu and Meredy; a more casual flirtatious attitude between Angel and Natsu; and lastly, an inquisitive relationship between Sayla and Natsu.**

 **If I do add them, the same relationship dynamics will occur and be built upon, but they can also be explored romantically.**

 **Personally, I don't want to add them, as I don't feel the need, wanting to focus more on the "Natsu Search Party", in other words, Erza, Mira, Lisanna and of course Cana, but if you all want them, I don't mind adding them.**

 **I'll put them on the poll for now and feel free to vote, but don't hesitate to let me know in a PM or review what you think. However, if the response for them is not good, I will leave them out.**

 **Well, that's all for now, enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 5 – Dual S-Class

It was now the year X779. As predicted, last year, Laxus had become S-Class. To Natsu and Cana, it had been no surprise. Mira and Erza were a little miffed, that they weren't nominated to participate, but both begrudgingly admitted, that they would have been no match for Laxus… yet. The rest of the guild were awed at Laxus' performance, being able to clear a magical obstacle course, one which launched various elemental attacks at him, in under a minute. Not only that, but Laxus had managed to defeat a dozen forest Wyvern in under ten seconds. To top it all off, he had managed to locate a single, yellow Winged Fish feather, hidden throughout Magnolia, in under two minutes. Laxus was ridiculously agile, strong and sharp, qualities which Makarov was seeking, from his S-Class mage for this year. With that said, Laxus had next to no competition anyway and since Gildarts was not there, there was no S-Class mage to test Laxus. For all intents and purposes, he was the strongest non S-Class mage before the trial and that, coupled with his performance, made him becoming an S-Class mage, inevitable.

"Well, Laxus was at least the strongest human non S-Class mage." Thought Natsu, reflecting on last year's trials, as the guild waited to hear who Makarov would allow to compete for the rank of S-Class this year.

'Now, this year's S-Class candidates, please step forward when I call your name.' Announced Makarov, getting the entire guild to quieten down.

Natsu stood next to Cana, grinning in certainty that they'd be chosen. To their left, were Erza and Mira, both looking hopeful as well. A bit further away, seated around a small table, were Lisanna, Elfman and Gray.

'The first candidate will be… Cana Alberona!' Proclaimed Makarov, getting Cana to freeze in shock.

'Told you.' Said Natsu triumphantly, nudging Cana with his elbow, getting her to regain her senses.

'Maybe, but that doesn't mean I'm going to be able to do it.' Said Cana, with a small frown.

'Didn't I tell you I'd help you? You're not alone.' Chided Natsu.

'And the other candidate will be… Natsu Dragneel!' Finished Makarov, getting the guild to start chattering.

'Now, the test will begin tomorrow. Candidates will select a partner to accompany them. The partner can be anyone in the guild, barring any S-Class mage. The test will be carried out in the forests, to the east of Magnolia. The first task, will be to locate Laxus, who will be hidden in the forest, by noon tomorrow. The test will begin at sunrise.' Said Makarov, before hopping off the platform and going to get a beer.

'What the hell, why did you get the chance to compete in the S-Class Trials?' Demanded Mira, once the four of them had joined Lisanna, Elfman and Gray, at their table.

'Easy, because I'm awesome!' Laughed Natsu, causing Mira to fume.

'Well, that aside, have you decided who you will ask to be your partner? Laxus is sure to be a tough challenger, especially if you need to fight him upon locating him.' Said Erza calmly.

'Eh, don't worry about Laxus, I'm sure my partner and I can handle him.' Said Natsu calmly.

'So you've already got someone in mind?' Asked Lisanna curiously.

'Well yeah, isn't it obvious?' Asked Natsu, getting multiple confused looks.

'Obviously, I'm partnering with Cana.' Said Natsu, getting them all to look at him, like he was stupid.

'How the hell is that supposed to work, flame-brain? You guys are each other's competition, you can't partner.' Exclaimed Gray.

'Nope, the only thing Gramps said, was that my partner couldn't be an S-Class mage. Since Cana isn't an S-Class mage, this is perfectly acceptable.' Said Natsu.

'Well, what does Cana think about that?' Asked Erza pointedly, as Cana had yet to say anything.

Cana was looking down at her lap, deep in thought, before looking up when Erza addressed her.

'Um…' Said Cana after a moment, before pausing.

Natsu placed his hand on Cana's shoulder, getting her to look at him.

'You trust me, right?' Asked Natsu quietly, so only Cana could hear.

Cana looked at Natsu's determined expression and found her misgivings and doubts melt away. Putting a small smile on her face, Cana gave Natsu a nod.

'Right, Natsu will be my partner.' Declared Cana, getting Natsu to grin.

'That's right and just you wait, Laxus won't know what hit him!' Said Natsu confidently.

'You know, you might not even have to fight him.' Pointed out Elfman shyly.

'Maybe, but I don't think Gramps would want to make the test too easy for us.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'Quite possibly, but expecting you to beat Laxus is quite foolhardy.' Commented Erza.

'You'll see, maybe we'll surprise him.' Said Natsu, with a confident smirk.

'So you have a plan then, Natsu?' Asked Lisanna curiously.

'Of course, want to hear it?' Asked Natsu, getting a nod from Lisanna and getting everyone to unknowingly lean in, as he did the same.

'The plan… is to beat Laxus silly.' Laughed Natsu, getting the rest of them to look at him in annoyance.

'What the hell, matchstick, what kind of a plan is that?' Questioned Gray.

'Well, the truth is… it's a secret.' Said Natsu, with a wink.

'I'll meet you at the guild at sunrise tomorrow, Cana. See you guys later.' Said Natsu, as he left the guild.

'Natsuuu, wait for me!' Cried Happy, flying out of Lisanna's hands and following after Natsu.

'So, Cana, how do you think things will go?' Asked Erza curiously.

'I'm not sure. I know Natsu thinks we can do it… I'm just not as confident as him.' Confessed Cana.

'Relax, you've gotten way stronger Cana, I'd know after all. Just give Laxus a good wallop, with a bit of explosion magic and I'll bet you'll easily become S-Class.' Said Mira cheerfully.

'Indeed, you were already a versatile mage before and now you have power to complement that. Don't sell yourself short Cana, Master wouldn't have recommended you if he didn't think you could do it.' Added Erza.

'Still can't believe I didn't get recommended.' Muttered Mira in annoyance.

'Well, if I didn't, I'm sure you wouldn't either, hag.' Scoffed Erza.

'What was that, rusty? You want to go?' Growled Mira.

The two prepared to slam their heads against each other, only for a bullet of fire to pierce the table, barely missing the two.

'Damn it! How the hell did he do that?' Shouted Mira, holding a hand over her chest.

'Natsu's gotten much too good with that gun.' Commented Erza, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of her head.

 _-line break-_

'Hehe, I've still got it. Well, time to go to bed.' Said Natsu, from atop the roof of his house.

Lifting his gaze off a tiny red dot, barely visible in the distance, Natsu disassembled his gun, before heading inside to sleep. _  
_  
 _-line break-_

Cana gave a small yawn, as she approached the guild. The sun was just barely rising over the horizon, but Cana could clearly see Natsu standing there, waiting for her. She had changed her outfit as well, now wearing two metal bands around her biceps and Natsu's bracelet still on her wrist. Her attire now consisted of a green, spaghetti strap top, with white trim, which reached mid-thigh, over an orange spaghetti strap top, along with brown, knee-high boots. In addition to this, Cana had gotten rid of her ponytail, letting her hair fall to her shoulder blades.

'Morning Cana, ready to do this?' Asked Natsu cheerfully, bounding over to Cana in excitement.

'Sure, sure. You?' Asked Cana, with another yawn.

'You bet. I even brought these, just in case.' Said Natsu, pulling out his handguns, giving them a quick twirl, before stowing them away somewhere.

'Yeah, I brought my entire supply of cards as well.' Said Cana, lifting her tan satchel, which was slung across her right shoulder, resting on her left side, to Natsu's gaze.

'Awesome, then let's get going.' Said Natsu, before leisurely walking off.

After a few minutes of walking, Cana turned to Natsu curiously.

'Natsu, is there any reason you're so calm about this? I mean, we do have a deadline.' Pointed out Cana.

'Relax, a Dragon Slayer's nose can't be beat and Laxus has a really distinct smell.' Said Natsu.

'Yeah…' Said Cana, remembering how Natsu had smelt the salt in her tears before, when she was crying.

'Wait, if he smells like Master, then how can you be sure that it is really Laxus we are following?' Asked Cana in alarm.

'Hmm, so you did remember what I said. Well, firstly, relax. I'm sure it's him and I'll explain why.' Said Natsu, calming Cana down.

'Okay, I'm listening.' Said Cana calmly.

'Well, I'll use you as an example. Even though you and Gildarts, at your core, smell the same, it is the other aspects of your scent that help me distinguish between them. For instance, while Gildarts smells like alcohol, you smell like paper, probably from the cards you use. Plus, more recently, you started to smell a bit like smoky debris, probably from your new magic.' Explained Natsu, as the duo trudged their way to the forest.

'Debris… that doesn't sound particularly nice.' Said Cana unhappily.

'Don't worry, you also have a scent of sweetness mixed in with that as well… well, not exactly sweetness, like sugar… maybe a bit more like mead… actually, a lot like mead… must be from you hanging out with Macao and Wakaba, considering how much they drink.' Said Natsu thoughtfully.

'Hehe, yeah, that must be it.' Said Cana nervously.

Natsu looked at Cana suspiciously for a moment, before giving an audible sniff.

'Ready Cana, Laxus is just a bit ahead of us now and I think he knows we're here.' Said Natsu quietly.

'Let's do this.' Whispered Cana, as the two crept their way forward.

Laxus was standing in the middle of the clearing, wearing a brown shirt with a black zigzag pattern across his chest, along with dark brown pants. His iconic headphones were resting around his neck, as he crossed his arms over his chest in boredom.

'I know you're there.' Said Laxus plainly.

A bit of rustling later and Cana and Natsu emerged from the bushes, confusing Laxus slightly, as indicated by his raised eyebrow.

'Where are your partners?' Asked Laxus calmly.

'Cana's my partner and I'm hers.' Said Natsu simply.

'Well, congratulations on finding me.' Said Laxus, uncrossing his arms as he did so.

'Heh, it was easy.' Smirked Natsu.

'Well, I'm sure your next task won't be, since you need to get this from me.' Said Laxus, holding a green scale up as he did so.

'What do we do after that?' Asked Natsu, getting Laxus to give an amused huff.

'If you can get this scale from me, you need to give it to Gramps. Whoever can manage to do that, will become S-Class.' Said Laxus flatly.

'Okay, here we go.' Said Natsu, walking up to Laxus, who raised an eyebrow in confusion.

'Can I have the scale?' Asked Natsu cheerfully, getting Cana to slap herself in the face.

'No.' Grunted Laxus, hiding his slight amusement at Natsu's bizarre request.

'Okay then.' Said Natsu, walking back to Cana.

'Please tell me that wasn't your only plan?' Asked Cana in disbelief.

'Nah, that was Plan B.' Said Natsu.

'Natsu, normally Plan A is your first plan and Plan B is your backup plan, hence B.' Explained Cana, while an amused Laxus watched on.

'Oh. I called it Plan B, as it was Plan B for boring.' Said Natsu calmly.

'Then what's Plan A?' Asked Cana.

'Plan A, is Plan A… for action!' Exclaimed Natsu, before placing his hands in front of his mouth, as he quickly whirled around to face Laxus.

Cana quickly jumped away, to avoid getting caught up in Natsu's attack, as she felt him building up a lot of magic power.

' **Fire Dragon's Roar**!' Exclaimed Natsu, launching a trumpet of fiery destruction at Laxus.

Laxus easily avoided the attack and quickly appeared behind Natsu, bringing his clenched fist down on the back of his head, only for Natsu to duck and weave, to avoid the attack, before bringing his left leg up.

' **Fire Dragon's Claw**!' Said Natsu, swinging his flaming leg at Laxus.

Laxus jumped back, narrowly avoiding the attack, but was thrown a little off balance.

'Now Cana!' Cried Natsu.

'Lightning, Reverse Tower, Lovers: **Thunderbolt's Fate**.' Said Cana, placing three cards on top of each other, before moving her hand, so all three were visible, causing a large green magic circle to appear, before a massive blast of lightning rushed at Laxus.

The attack hit Laxus, but he merely laughed as he did so. Once the attack faded, Laxus turned to face the gobsmacked Cana.

'Nice try, but lightning is useless against me.' Smirked Laxus, only for a fiery fist to plough into his face.

'Obviously, but it was meant to distract you, not hurt you.' Laughed Natsu, as Laxus picked himself up.

'Huh, well I must say, I'm surprised. I thought the two of you wouldn't even be able to touch me, but you even landed a good hit on me, Natsu. Guess I don't need to hold back anymore.' Said Laxus calmly, before sparks started to dance off his form.

'Cana, quickly! Together now!' Shouted Natsu, hopping to stand beside Cana.

'With a flame on the right hand...and a flame on the left hand...when you combine the flames together...' Chanted Natsu, as he clapped his flaming hands together, while Cana pulled out two cards.

'Heaven, Wind…' Said Cana quickly.

' **Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame**!' Said Natsu, launching a massive ball of fire at Laxus.

' **Wind Edge**!' Added Cana quickly, conjuring up a massive wave of wind.

Laxus barely had a moment to blink, before he was engulfed.

 _-line break-_

Back at the guild, Erza and Mira were discussing the duo's chances of success.

'I really doubt they can beat Laxus.' Said Mira calmly.

'And I'm telling you that they can. Think about it, if the two of us worked together, we could probably give Laxus a hard time. If Natsu takes us seriously, we both can't stop him, much as I hate to admit it.' Said Erza, only for Mira to smirk.

'Ha, already accepting how weak you are, how sad. To think, you actually think Natsu could beat me.' Laughed Mira mockingly.

Erza grit her teeth, glaring at her rival, before calming down.

'No, I don't think he can beat you, I know he can.' Said Erza, with a smirk of her own, getting Mira to now glare at her in turn.

'However, Natsu also has Cana with him and she has gotten a lot stronger as well. If they both work together and fight Laxus seriously, I believe they could beat him.' Finished Erza.

'Yeah, I don't see it.' Said Mira, only for a thunderous explosion to be heard, rocking the guild slightly.

'What the hell was that?' Shouted Mira, as she, Erza and a few others, ran outside.

The onlookers watched on gobsmacked, while Erza smirked triumphantly.

'Still don't see it?' Teased Erza, looking at her shocked rival.

'They… they took out half the forest from the looks of things.' Commented Mira in shock, as a massive conflagration decorated the horizon.

 _-line break-_

'Man, that was awesome, Cana.' Cheered Natsu.

'I didn't think it would do that much damage.' Commented Cana in awe.

'Well, we've both gotten stronger, it only makes sense.' Said Natsu happily, only to hear a roar from within the fire, which dispersed some of the flames.

From out of the fires of hell, or a close approximation to it, emerged Laxus. His shirt was gone and his pants were now shorts. Soot covered his hair and burns decorated his chest and arms.

'You… you've done it now!' Growled Laxus, lightning shooting off him angrily.

Laxus clenched his fist and raised it into the air, as a ball of yellow and blue lightning formed above his head.

'Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction! **Raging Bolt**!' Shouted Laxus, directing his open palm at the two.

The two looked on as the attack neared them. Cana looked at it fearfully, while Natsu hardened his gaze. The attack engulfed them completely, blasting away the fire near them and hiding them from view. Laxus breathed heavily, having unknowingly packed a lot into that attack. Laxus watched the attack, waiting for it to dissipate and thus, was quite confused when the attack seemed to start shrinking instead. Before Laxus' very eyes, his attack was disappearing, being sucked away into nothingness. Laxus then looked more closely and saw something ridiculous. Laxus' attack was being sucked away, into a card of all things, held by Cana.

Cana breathed heavily, as the attack was absorbed, thanking Natsu for his quick thinking, as he was the one who told Cana to absorb the attack. If it wasn't for him, her S-Class dreams would have been shattered already.

'Now, Laxus, that wasn't very nice, if you ask me.' Said Natsu darkly.

Laxus glared at Natsu, before noticing his glare seemed actually frightening. Unlike when a kid normally tried to be intimidating and ended up looking cute, Natsu actually looked fearsome. His eyes looked like black pools of nothingness and his jaw was clenched tightly. His salmon coloured hair covered some of his right eye, while his left eye bore a hole into Laxus' very being.

'If you want to get serious, so will I.' Said Natsu, before whipping out his handguns quicker than Laxus could see and launching two bullets of fire at Laxus.

Laxus felt a searing pain bury into his shoulder, as his right arm was savagely burnt. Laxus was quickly attacked by many more bullets, barely dodging them, only for a wave of icicles to crash into his left side. Laxus growled, as two more bullets struck his chest, causing a stinging pain upon contact, which turned into a dull throb.

Cana threw down a card, with a fountain-like design on it.

' **The Prayer's Fountain**!' Shouted Cana, as water exploded out from the card, blasting into Laxus and dousing most of the nearby trees, extinguishing the flames currently eating away at them.

'All right, time to end this!' Shouted Natsu.

'Don't get cocky!' Roared Laxus, even as Natsu aimed his rifle at Laxus.

'With this, you're done. Night Laxus.' Said Natsu, bringing his finger back slightly.

Laxus tensed in anticipation, only to feel his eyes suddenly drop, before he fell to the ground.

'Nice timing, Cana.' Said Natsu, placing his rifle on his shoulder, as his partner stood over Laxus' prone form, a card with the word sleep held between her index and middle finger.

'I still don't know why you wanted me to use **The Prayer's Fountain**. It seemed pointless.' Commented Cana, as she rummaged through Laxus' pants and pulled out the scale.

'It was to mask your scent, with that of steam. Steam and smoke actually. It was just enough to mask your scent, since you already smell like paper mostly and the smoke mixing with the steam gives off a similar smell. That and we really shouldn't let the entire forest get annihilated, just because we have our exam here.' Said Natsu, breaking his rifle down into his handguns and putting them away.

'Really Natsu, you're the one talking about reducing damage? Aren't you the most destructive member in the guild?' Asked Cana in disbelief.

'Well yeah, but that was by choice. It's always funny seeing Gramps lose it, when he hears how much I've destroyed and how much he has to pay.' Snickered Natsu.

'That and we needed to get rid of the scent of fire, so I can track Gramps down.' Said Natsu calmly.

Cana gave a nod, before following after Natsu, as he set off through the forest.

'So, Natsu, why did you tell me to absorb Laxus' attack anyway? I can make lightning on my own, you know?' Asked Cana.

'I know, but Laxus' lightning is special and much more powerful than what you can create with your cards. No offence or anything. All I'm saying, is having an attack like that at your disposal, can make for some great combination attacks.' Said Natsu calmly.

'I suppose.' Said Cana noncommittally.

'So, are you going to tell Gildarts everything when he comes back?' Asked Natsu.

'Natsu, I'm not even S-Class yet.' Sighed Cana.

'Oh please, what could stop it at this point?' Asked Natsu, only for a bolt of lightning to smash into the ground behind them.

'You two… did you really think it was going to be that easy?' Asked Laxus, with a huff.

'Yeah, we got the scale, didn't we?' Asked Natsu, his head tilted to his right.

'Right, but now you have to get to Gramps and I'm supposed to stop you from even getting near him.' Said Laxus calmly.

'Cana, Gramps is just half a kilometre in that direction. Keep walking straight and you'll find him easily.' Said Natsu, not taking his eyes off Laxus.

'What about you Natsu? You can't take on Laxus alone.' Said Cana in worry.

'I will.' Said Natsu firmly.

'B-but Natsu…' Started Cana, only for Natsu to glare at her.

'You said you wanted to be S-Class and I promised you that you will become S-Class, so what are you waiting here for?' Shouted Natsu, causing Cana to recoil slightly.

Cana gave a small sniff, before throwing ten cards in front of her.

'Fine, but at least take this first.' Said Cana, unleashing a stream of fire at Natsu.

Natsu quickly consumed it, his eyes still not leaving Laxus' own, even as Cana ran away.

'That was pretty stupid, Natsu. You can't beat me alone.' Said Laxus coolly.

'We'll see.' Said Natsu, pulling out his handguns again.

 _-line break-_

Cana cursed as she ran.

"Stupid Natsu. Stupid Laxus. Stupid S-Class trials." Thought Cana.

Cana slowed down, as she heard numerous explosions going off behind her, with the odd spike of lightning, bursting through the treetops occasionally. Cana kept walking in the direction Natsu had told her to, looking back every now and again, as the sounds of combat reached her ears.

"What's Natsu thinking, trying to take Laxus on by himself?" Thought Cana unhappily.

Making her way through the trees to a clearing, Cana saw Makarov sitting there calmly, eyes closed, sleeping from the looks of things.

"There he is. All I have to do, is give him this scale and I'll be S-Class. Then… then I can tell him the truth." Thought Cana, glancing at the scale in her hand.

"But… does that even matter, if I left my teammate behind, someone who's been helping me train and get stronger, for no other reason than to help me?" Thought Cana.

Cana clenched her fist around the scale so tightly, that she almost drew blood.

"Damn it! I don't want to be the kind of person who abandons her friends! Natsu said we'd be S-Class together, so either we both become S-class or neither of us do, but I'm not leaving him behind like this." Thought Cana, before turning around and running back to the battle she had left behind.

Makarov opened a single eye, glancing in the direction that Cana had left, before closing it again, a smile spreading over his face.

"Hmm, who would have thought Natsu would be right? Guess I will be naming two new S-Class mages… well, if they can get past Laxus that is." Thought Makarov.

 _-line break-_

Laxus glared at Natsu, who matched his gaze. The area around them was a mess, bullet holes and charred trees decorated their surroundings, while the two mages were a little worse for wear. Natsu had taken two hits from Laxus' lightning based attacks, causing his hair to stick up funnily at the back, while his clothes were also slightly singed. Laxus himself barely had any clothing left on him, but his body had taken a few more fiery hits, leaving a few more burns along his person.

'You can't keep this up forever, Natsu.' Said Laxus calmly, despite his damaged form.

'Wanna bet?' Asked Natsu, bringing his right handgun up.

'I don't even know why you're bothering with me. Cana's probably S-Class by now anyway.' Intoned Laxus calmly.

'That's the plan. I don't even really want to be S-Class. Cana does though and I promised I'd help her do it.' Said Natsu, just as calmly as Laxus.

'Why?' Asked Laxus curiously.

'I want to help my friends, it's not that complicated to understand.' Shrugged Natsu.

'It kind of is. You don't get anything out of this, unless you're hoping to score with Cana or something.' Said Laxus.

'Score? Like in a game?' Asked Natsu, tilting his head in confusion.

Laxus grumbled something under his breath, before fixing his gaze on Natsu again.

'Whatever, I'll beat you now and then track her down. If she hasn't already gotten to Gramps, I'll stop her.' Said Laxus confidently.

'I'd like to see you try.' Said Natsu, before bringing his left handgun up as well.

Natsu started firing bullet, after bullet of fire at Laxus, who turned into lightning and weaved through the attacks. Natsu quickly back flipped, to avoid an earth-shattering punch Laxus delivered, which shattered the earth, or at least the portion of it Natsu had been standing on before. Natsu fired a few shots, getting Laxus to retreat momentarily, before switching to his rifle mode and aiming at Laxus' knees.

'Got you this time!' Declared Natsu, before a bolt of fire struck Laxus' left knee, bringing him down to his knee, before he quickly pushed himself back up and avoiding the next bullet Natsu shot at him.

'Nice shot, but now it's my turn!' Declared Laxus, disappearing in a burst of lightning and slamming a punch into Natsu's back, sending him soaring towards the ground. Natsu crashed into the ground roughly and rolled to minimise the damage, before quickly jumping up and pointing his two handguns at Laxus again and firing, having switched from his rifle to his handguns, when he had rolled along the ground.

Laxus gave a small growl, as another bullet lodged into him, this time on his left bicep, before charging at Natsu again. Natsu quickly holstered his guns, before bringing his hands in front of his mouth, as a magic circle appeared.

' **Fire Dragon's Roar**!' Exclaimed Natsu, blasting a wave of fire at Laxus.

Laxus barely avoided the attack, singing what remained of his pants, as he hastily dodged, before turning into lightning and appearing behind Natsu.

'It's over!' Shouted Laxus victoriously, his fist coming down on Natsu's head.

Natsu merely smirked, causing Laxus to pause for a moment, only for a newcomer to slam their fist into Laxus' face. Laxus felt a somewhat soft hand strike his face, before his world went black.

'Nice punch, Cana.' Complimented Natsu, as he turned to face the heavily breathing brunette.

Cana had managed to get back just in time, to capitalise on Laxus' blind spot and struck him with a fist enhanced with Explosion magic, knocking him out.

Cana didn't respond to Natsu right away, confusing him.

'Is something wrong, Cana?' Asked Natsu curiously.

'Why'd you lie to me?' Whispered Cana, but Natsu heard it easily.

'Lie? When did I lie?' Asked Natsu in confusion.

'You said we were going to be dual S-Class, so what's this rubbish about me going on ahead? Either we both become S-Class, or neither of us will!' Said Cana, glaring at Natsu.

'Eh? But I didn't even care about S-Class, I just wanted you to be able to become S-Class.' Said Natsu.

'Well I don't want to be S-Class by leaving my friends behind!' Shouted Cana, causing Natsu's eyes to widen.

Breathing heavily, Cana didn't notice Natsu's face soften a little.

'Cana, you didn't leave me behind, I wanted you to go on ahead. There's a difference.' Said Natsu.

'No there isn't. You said we were going to become dual S-Class, so telling me to go on ahead, is exactly the same as me leaving you behind.' Refuted Cana, looking at Natsu with a stern expression.

Natsu looked at Cana for a moment, before bursting out in laughter.

'What are you laughing at?' Asked Cana angrily, still breathing a little heavily.

'You're being pretty dumb right now, Cana, throwing away a chance to become S-Class, just because of something I said.' Said Natsu, causing Cana's eyes to narrow.

'But… I have to admit, I didn't think I was that important to you, in the grand scheme of things.' Chuckled Natsu.

Cana merely looked at Natsu, as he calmed down.

'We're comrades, we need to stick together.' Stated Cana simply.

'Well, in that case, let's go become S-Class together, eh, partner?' Offered Natsu, pointing in the direction Cana had just come from.

'Just like it should have been from the beginning.' Nodded Cana, before the two headed off.

Laxus, meanwhile, had regained consciousness rather quickly, after blacking out and had remained silent, listening to the two converse.

'*Hmph* Natsu and Cana, who would have thought a team of two overly stubborn mages, could actually work out?' Scoffed Laxus, before getting to his feet.

'Might as well head back to the guild… after I get some clothes.' Said Laxus, looking down at what remained of his tattered clothing.

 _-line break-_

Cana and Natsu soon reached the clearing in which Makarov sat. Hearing two sets of feet, Makarov opened his eyes to observe the duo.

'So, who's going to become S-Class?' Asked Makarov.

In response to this, Cana and Natsu each threw half of the scale at Makarov's feet.

'You either make both of us S-Class…' Started Cana.

'Or neither of us will become S-Class.' Finished Natsu, with a grin.

'Well, there's only one thing left to say then.' Said Makarov calmly.

 _-line break-_

Chatter at the guild had been building, with everyone wondering what the results of the S-Class trials were. A few minutes ago, Laxus had arrived and sat by himself at a table, ignoring any questions he was asked.

'Come on, Laxus! Tell us what happened!' Demanded Mira.

Laxus looked at Mira blankly for a minute, before turning away, causing her to fume. Before Mira could act, the doors to the guild were kicked open.

'We're back!' Exclaimed Natsu, Makarov to his right and Cana to Makarov's right.

The guild was completely silent, as the three made their way to the platform. Makarov climbed on top of it, with Cana and Natsu quickly following.

'Now, as for the results of the S-Class Mage Promotion Trial… I present to you, the newest S-Class mage of this guild.' Said Makarov, before pausing for dramatic effect.

'Cana Alberona… and Natsu Dragneel!' Declared Makarov, getting cheers from the guild.

Laxus gave a small smile at this, before putting on his headphones and blocked out the merry cheers of the guild.

'Well Cana, you did it, you finally became S-Class.' Said Natsu happily.

'No Natsu, we became S-Class. Thank you.' Said Cana, as she walked over to Natsu and did something which silenced the guild.

Cana kissed Natsu, on the lips, in front of the entire guild. 


	6. Two Pairs

**Well, here is the first update for the new year. Looking back on last year, I had planned to finish TTONU, but that didn't pan out with my surgery… in any case, I actually did manage to update nearly every week, so I'll take that as a small victory. Hopefully, I will be able to do the same this year, but I don't know what will happen this year.  
As always, I appreciate all the support from my patrons, as well as all of you for every favourite, follow, review, or even hit. I actually look at my traffic stats after every update and it always makes me feel good to see a 2-5K view spike with a new update, depending on which archive the update was for.  
I do have plans for new stories, but I will hold off for now. For the record, I have a Batman fanfic idea, Highschool DxD fanfic idea and two Fairy Tail fanfic ideas on a word doc. Since I have finished Arkham Asylum and am currently playing Arkham City, the most likely story that I will start out of the four will be my Batman story, but that won't be for a while (I think, I do tend to change my mind a lot).  
In any case, enjoy the update and many more to come.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 6 – Two Pairs

Silence. Complete and utter silence that many monks had spent years trying to achieve. Decades of meditation and focus all honed to perfection, in order to block out the entire universe and achieve true silence. Yet, without even intending to, the guild hall of Fairy Tail had achieved this feat. What could have caused the rowdiest guild of them all to reach the highest levels of silence? A simple kiss. A kiss between the two newest S-Class mages: Natsu Dragneel and Cana Alberona. Alas, the silence would not last. The epitome of peace was achieved only for two seconds, before a cry was heard.

'So Cana is going to be Natsu's mistress!' Exclaimed Lisanna, clapping her hands in joy.

'No, I'm not the mistress, you are.' Said Cana, resting her arm, on the still stunned Natsu's shoulder.

'Oh, I just knew the mistress idea would backfire on me. You're trying to steal Natsu from me!' Exclaimed Lisanna.

'Okay, I'm going for a walk, you two can settle this all out between yourselves, let's go Happy, I'll get you a fish.' Said Natsu, after giving himself a little shake and lifting Cana's arm off his shoulder.

'Aye sir!' Exclaimed Happy, flapping over to Natsu and jumping on top of his head, just as Natsu hopped off the stage.

The Dragon Slayer walked out of the guild and as the doors shut behind him, the guild rebooted.

'Well, that is one way to end the S-Class trials. I didn't expect anything so dramatic to happen and I doubt anything could top that.' Said Makarov, not knowing that this time next year, he would need to eat his words.

The rest of the guild slowly dispersed after that, too surprised by the recent turn of events to party properly.

'Hey, let's party!' Cheered Macao, getting a resounding cheer, which then kicked off the party.

"As if Fairy Tail could be stopped from partying after all." Thought Makarov in amusement, before going to the bar.

Cana then decided to hop off the stage and made her way over to Lisanna and her siblings, being quickly joined by Erza and Gray.

'Congratulations Cana. I'm impressed that you managed to defeat Master's trial. It couldn't have been easy, considering you had to deal with Laxus.' Complimented Erza.

'Yeah, what was with that massive explosion of fire that nearly torched the forest, huh?' Questioned Mira.

'Oh, we needed to get something from Laxus and give it to Master. He wasn't playing around, so things got kind of serious.' Explained Cana.

'I'll bet. Flame Brain never did something like that before.' Muttered Gray.

'How did you do it though?' Asked Elfman.

'Natsu and I combined two attacks together.' Said Cana.

'Speaking of Natsu, were you serious up there?' Asked Lisanna.

'Yeah.' Said Cana, only for Lisanna to hug her, confusing the group.

'Uh, Lisanna, shouldn't you be annoyed that I'm interested in Natsu?' Asked Cana, awkwardly holding her hands to her sides.

'Nope. If you are really interested in Natsu then it is only a matter of time before Erza and Mira get involved as well and then we really will be one big happy family.' Said Lisanna, breaking the hug.

'Lisanna, are you even sure Natsu would be interested in something like that?' Asked Elfman.

'Just you wait, I'm sure Natsu will see things my way. I'm his first wife after all, so I have to know these things.' Said Lisanna, with a wink.

'Anyway, your little stunt got Natsu to leave, aren't you worried about that?' Asked Mira.

'Not really. It was a spur of the moment decision and Natsu probably needs time to figure things out himself.' Said Cana.

'You're going to be waiting a good decade then.' Muttered Gray, only for Erza to slam her fist into his skull, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.

'Be nice, Gray, Natsu has shown his intelligence is nothing to be mocked. However, Cana, I will not allow any unseemly behaviour between you and Natsu in my presence.' Warned Erza.

'Jeez, if you are that into Natsu, just come right out and say it Erza.' Teased Cana, causing the knight's face to flush.

'That's right, the more the merrier. Plus, if you get involved, Mira will too and everything will be perfect.' Added Lisanna.

'Please, any man red likes is probably going to be some pathetic moody loser. Not even Natsu would want this can of sardines near him.' Mocked Mira, only for a fist to slam into her face.

'That's it you witch, I will make you respect me!' Shouted Erza, before charging her rival.

'Wow, serious denial there.' Commented Cana, as the two blurs of white and red clashed.

'Well, in any case, let's party!' Cheered Cana, before the four of them headed into the midst of the party.

 _-line break-_

'Natsu, what's wrong?' Asked Happy, pausing during his meal of fish.

'Hmm, what makes you think something is wrong?' Asked Natsu, turning to the side to face his furry son, as they sat by the lake, enjoying the silence.

'You've got your serious face on, like when we are training.' Said Happy, finishing off his fish.

'Didn't know I had a serious face… I'm just thinking bud.' Said Natsu.

'About what? Fish?' Asked Happy, before starting to drool.

'About what I'm going to do now that I'm S-Class.' Replied Natsu, after giving a small chuckle, in response to Happy's predictable reply.

After a few more minutes of looking up at the sky, Natsu got to his feet.

'Come on Happy, let's go home, I'm feeling pretty sleepy after *yawn* that fight with Laxus.' Said Natsu.

'Aye.' Mumbled Happy, starting to fall asleep right then and there.

Natsu laughed and scooped up the ball of blue fur, before walking home.

 _-line break-_

The guild hall was quiet the next day, with more than a few people nursing hangovers. For that reason, Natsu's exuberant cry as he kicked in the doors that morning, elicited a round of groans.

'Natsu, I thought becoming an S-Class mage would teach you more restraint.' Admonished Erza.

'Hey, I have plenty of restraint, I'm just selective of when I show it.' Defended Natsu.

'Come on Natsu, keep it down.' Muttered Macao.

'Nah, you shouldn't have drunk so much.' Said Natsu, as he walked over to the purple haired mage, slumped over a table.

'Please, we can't even compare to how much she drank.' Grumbled Wakaba, as Erza walked over to the three.

'Who are you talking about?' Asked Natsu curiously.

Before either of the two drunken old men could speak, a loud clang struck their ears, causing them to cringe and groan weakly.

'Yeah, don't drink so much if you can't handle it.' Said Cana, walking over to the four.

'Anyway, Cana, ready for an S-Class job?' Asked Natsu, causing quite a few people to sober up.

'You can't go on an S-Class job!' Protested Macao, before holding his head in pain.

'Why not? I'm S-Class. Wasn't that the whole point?' Retorted Natsu.

'Natsu, becoming an S-Class mage is an honour, it shows you embody the true spirit of Fairy Tail and are recognised as a well-rounded mage. It isn't solely to go on S-Class jobs.' Said Makarov.

Noticing Natsu about to protest this, Makarov continued speaking.

'However, you are right in saying you have earned the ability to go on S-Class jobs now. Despite this though, I would like that you not go alone.' Said Makarov.

'I'm not going alone, Cana's coming too.' Said Natsu, with Cana nodding in agreement.

'Yes, I understand that, but, I would like it if you had a more senior S-Class mage accompany you as well.' Said Makarov.

'Gildarts!' Exclaimed Natsu eagerly.

'No, Gildarts is off on a ten-year job. I would like you to go with Laxus on your job, which I have already selected for you.' Said Makarov.

Natsu deflated momentarily, before springing back into action.

'Sounds good, what's the job?' Asked Natsu.

'Master, are you sure they are ready to go off on an S-Class job so soon?' Asked Erza.

'It is all well and good to be worried for your friends, Erza, but don't undersell their abilities.' Said Makarov sternly.

'I'm sorry please hit me.' Apologised Erza with a bow, only for a fist to slug her in her cheek and sending her flying.

'Your wish is my command.' Chortled Mira, taking the chance to land a cheap shot on her rival.

'Mirajane!' Roared Erza, before starting a new brawl with her rival.

'In any case, the job is to destroy the Dark Guild Gargoyle's Fang. You are expected to encounter a fair amount of resistance. They are one of the higher level guilds under the cowl of the Balam Alliance, serving directly under the first guild in command under Grimoire Heart.' Explained Makarov.

'So they are like two steps down from Grimoire Heart? I'm getting fired up!' Cheered Natsu.

'Come on love birds, let's get this over with.' Said Laxus, approaching the duo, with a knapsack slung over one shoulder.

'You got it. Wait, love birds?' Said Natsu, a puzzled look on his face.

'Let's go.' Said Cana, pushing Natsu out of the guild, causing Laxus to snort in amusement, before following.

'Wonder just how quiet the guild will be without Natsu around.' Muttered Makarov.

'How dare you say such slanderous things about cheesecake!' Roared Erza, before tackling Mira through part of the countertop, crushing the sturdy structure into kindling.

'I don't think we will even notice he is gone.' Chuckled Macao.

'At least Cana won't be able to drink us under the table for money for a while.' Grumbled Wakaba.

 _-line break-_

'Remind me again why we are walking to this guild?' Asked Cana.

'It is better for there to be little warning of our arrival. When dealing with Dark Guilds, the element of surprise is crucial. The reason all my missions go so well, is because no one sees me coming and I can deal with things quickly and without causing unnecessary damage.' Answered Laxus, maintaining his gaze on the horizon.

Cana accepted this answer, but it didn't stop her from grumbling about it under her breath.

'So what's the plan anyway?' Asked Natsu, hands behind his head.

'First off, we will spend a day or two gathering intel on who is in the guild. After that, it is important we observe their day-to-day activities, in order to pick the best time to strike. Then, we destroy them, quickly and cleanly. Do not pull that move you used on me when we attack, it would cause way too much damage.' Said Laxus, turning his stern gaze onto Natsu.

'Relax, this is our first S-Class job. I can control myself. Besides, I can really let loose when I get to go on my first solo S-Class job.' Replied Natsu.

'Hmm, I didn't think you love birds would want to split up.' Said Laxus, with a smirk.

'You said that before, love birds, what is that?' Asked Natsu.

'Nothing.' Interjected Cana.

'Aw, what's wrong, why can't you tell me? Is it a secret? I can keep a secret, remember?' Whined Natsu, before sending a wink to Cana at the end.

'Yeah, now that you mention it, what are you trying to say Laxus? Why don't you explain yourself?' Added Cana, realising what was going on.

'W-what are you talking about? You did that and don't even know what it means?' Spluttered Laxus.

'What what means?' Asked Natsu.

'I did not sign up for this. Babysitting sure, but now this.' Grumbled Laxus.

'Don't worry Laxus, I'm sure one day you'll know what you want to know.' Said Cana.

Laxus grumbled to himself a bit more, causing Cana and Natsu to grin at each other. The rest of the walk was spent in silence, with the occasional bout of teasing from Cana and Natsu, much to Laxus' chagrin. Eventually, the group reached the town the dark guild was supposedly based in and set about searching for clues.

'I'll go to a local bar and listen for anything that might be important, you two should explore the town and do a bit of mapping of the area. I'll get us a room at that hotel and we can all met there after midnight. Most bars don't get too full until late and that's when the real information comes out.' Said Laxus, before heading towards the hotel to their right.

'So we've got a few hours to burn, any ideas?' Asked Natsu.

'I suppose we could get something to eat, my feet are killing me anyway and I really want to sit down.' Said Cana, swaying from side-to-side in irritation.

'Let's go then.' Said Natsu, kneeling down in front of Cana.

'What are you doing?' Asked Cana.

'What? If your feet hurt, I'll just carry you. If Happy can carry me, I'm sure I can carry you, now come on.' Said Natsu over his shoulder.

'Fine, only because I'm actually still tired from yesterday.' Said Cana, before climbing onto Natsu's back.

'Well, we did it anyway and that's what matters. Now all we need is Gildarts to show up, so we've probably got a few years for you to build up your nerve.' Said Natsu, before trying to find a good restaurant.

'Hey Natsu… about yesterday…' Started Cana, before trailing off.

'Come on, if you can't even talk about what you did yesterday, how are you going to tell him about the you know what?' Chided Natsu jokingly.

'Well, I mean, weren't you surprised?' Asked Cana.

'Nah, I knew it would happen eventually. It was inevitable.' Answered Natsu, walking towards a restaurant that had caught his eye, or rather, his nose had caught the smell coming out of it.

'How come?' Asked Cana, as Natsu let her off his back and they entered the restaurant, before being ushered to a booth near a window.

'Well, I mean with all that time we spent together, there really wasn't much of a chance of it not happening.' Protested Natsu.

'I didn't know you felt that way.' Admitted Cana in surprise.

'Of course! I knew from the moment we started training together that we would beat the S-Class trials easy.' Said Natsu, getting Cana to drop her head slightly.

'Oh right, the trials, of course.' Said Cana, before taking a sip of her water.

'I mean, you kissing me just really made it clear that you like me as well.' Said Natsu, causing Cana to spit her water in his face and start coughing.

'W-what did you say?' Spluttered Cana.

'Hmm, there's alcohol mixed into this water. Either this is not water, or you were drinking yesterday. Since your scent has been smelling like this for the past few months, I'd say you started drinking. You know it isn't good for you, right? I mean, I can make some really strong flames with that stuff, but that isn't really safe.' Said Natsu quickly, an ever-growing smirk on his face, as Cana tried to choke out a few rebuttals.

'Ah, food's here, let's dig in.' Said Natsu, using his magic to turn the water coating him into steam, before grabbing a chunk of meat and tearing into it.

While Natsu demolished his meal, Cana took the time to reboot. Deciding to start eating a bit as well, Cana thought about what to say after they finished.

Cana finished well before Natsu and proceeded to simply watch him until he finished.

'You can talk now if you want. Nothing you say will surprise me, so get it all off your chest.' Said Natsu, pausing as he swallowed a meatball, before tearing into his food with renewed vigour.

'Well, I didn't expect for you to already know that I liked you, so I guess I didn't give you enough credit there.' Started Cana.

'No one does and I do that on purpose if you didn't figure it out. Go on.' Said Natsu, pausing his eating briefly, before quickly resuming.

'Yeah, I also didn't know if you liked me back and there is the stuff with Lisanna as well. I actually didn't plan to do anything, but I guess I was just overly excited yesterday. You don't really need to do anything about it, I'm just putting it out there I guess.' Finished Cana.

Natsu didn't say anything and continued eating. Cana gave a small exhale of relief at this, glad she had managed to get her thoughts off her chest and was now simply watching Natsu in amusement. After eating half his weight in food, Natsu stopped eating, pulled out a small sack of jewels and dropped it on the table.

'Come on, let's go for a walk.' Said Natsu, hopping out of the booth and waiting for Cana to follow.

Natsu led Cana towards the edge of the town, far away from the main hustle and bustle of the place.

'Here's the thing, Cana. You remember how I told you I had a secret?' Asked Natsu, getting a nod from Cana.

'Well the thing is, this secret is so big, that I wouldn't feel right about being more than friends with someone who doesn't know what it is. I mean I really like you too. I really like everyone at the guild, but there is a line that I won't cross. I know that sounds really weird coming from me, but I won't change my mind on this. This secret literally defines who I am. That's why, I don't mind us being friends and having fun like we have been for these past few months, but unless you know who the real Natsu Dragneel is, we aren't going to move past being friends, sorry.' Said Natsu, with a serious look on his face.

'I see, this must be some secret.' Said Cana, after a few seconds.

'It really is and I'm not exaggerating that.' Agreed Natsu, with a nod.

'That's fine then.' Said Cana, turning around and heading back to town.

Natsu exhaled slightly at this and let his shoulders slump slightly.

'That just means I need to find out what this secret of yours is, now let's go do some recon.' Said Cana, never looking over her shoulder.

Natsu gave a small laugh at this, before following after the brunette.

'I'm not going to tell you and there are only two other people in the world who know what it is. You aren't going to find out this secret.' Said Natsu, once he had caught up with Cana.

'We'll see, I like a challenge. Besides, I'm sure once I get Lisanna involved, things will be a lot easier. She's really good at figuring things out after all.' Retorted Cana.

'You can have the whole guild try and figure it out, but you'll never get it out of me. Seriously, the chances of you figuring this thing out are like a million to one.' Pressed Natsu.

'Well, that's too bad I suppose, since a person like you is one in a billion, so you won't be able to escape. You're going to have two wives and two mistresses if Lisanna gets her way, so you better prepare yourself.' Teased Cana.

'We'll see.' Said Natsu in amusement.

'All right, now that that is out of the way, let's search for this guild.' Said Cana, pulling out a few cards and sitting down on the grass.

Natsu remained standing as a lookout, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be wandering around the edge of town like them. After a minute of divining, Cana collected her cards and got to her feet.

'Follow me.' Said Cana, with Natsu simply nodding in reply.

The Card Mage led the Dragon Slayer further away from the town, before they exited it completely. Cana then pulled out three cards from her deck and gave a small nod, before heading left. The two kept this up for a few minutes, with Cana occasionally stopping to check her cards, before finally, they reached a clearing.

'Ok, if I'm right, the guild should be somewhere around here. I can't get an exact lock on the location, as something is interfering with my magic and bouncing it around.' Said Cana.

'Leave it to me.' Said Natsu, before giving two quick sniffs and heading to the right of the clearing.

The sound of people speaking caught Natsu's attention, causing him to slow his pace and strain his ears.

'Are you heading back to the guild?' Asked a man from the sounds of things.

'Yeah, I better make sure I'm all packed for the move tomorrow. Why on earth do we need to relocate our entire guild anyway?' Grumbled a woman.

'Well, it seems some info got out and there is a chance some Light Mages might come after us.' Said the man.

'Let them try. I've been itching to put some Light Mages in their place.' Hissed the woman, before stomping off.

'Man, what's with all the chicks in Dark Guilds having huge tempers.' Grumbled the man, before walking off as well.

'Quick, let's follow the girl, it sounds like she is going straight for their guild.' Whispered Natsu, getting a nod from Cana.

Natsu followed the scent of the disgruntled mage, with Cana tagging behind him closely. After a few minutes, the group reached their destination. Jutting out of the ground and piercing the sky, was a tower shaped like a fang. It was more wide than it was tall though, appearing more like a stretched out shark tooth.

'Why do Dark Guilds have to be so cliché?' Sighed Cana.

'Does it really matter? Anyway, let's get back to Laxus. We're going to need to act fast. I've got the scent of this place memorised so we won't have trouble finding it later, plus it helps that I can just follow our own scent here. Come on.' Said Natsu, to which Cana nodded, before the two headed back to town.

 _-line break-_

'So they're moving. In that case, we'll need to strike tomorrow. Go to sleep you two because we're going to hit them at dawn.' Said Laxus, after hearing about Natsu and Cana's discovery.

The two nodded and did as they were told, preparing for their first battle on their first S-Class job.

 _-line break-_

The sun rose slowly the next day, bathing the landscape with a warm orange glow. The light of the sun shone down on the guild of Gargoyle Fang. Most of its members were still asleep, with only a few awake here and there, gathering their things for the move.

' **Fire Dragon's Roar**.' Exclaimed Natsu, leaping at the guild and launching a wave of fire at the unprepared Dark Mages.

Natsu quickly ran into the bushes after that, as he waited for the rest of the guild to stir. The sudden attack on their guild had caught quite a few unprepared, so it was with little surprise that half a dozen mages were felled easily by a jolt of lightning, courtesy of Laxus. As the number of mages in the clearing quickly started to rise, Natsu shot into action, pulling out his rifle and launching multiple fiery bullets into multiple unseeing heads, knocking them out.

'Scatter!' Shouted one mage, creating an explosion of smoke, which hid them all from view, before they split off into four different directions, a dozen mages heading off in each direction.

'Cana, Natsu, get the groups heading towards the town and the river, I'll get the other two!' Ordered Laxus.

'Cana, you get the town!' Shouted Natsu, before leaping out of the bushes and chasing his group down, just as Laxus disappeared in a bolt of lightning.

 _-line break-_

The group of twelve mages were in a frenzy, trying to get to the bridge as quickly as possible. If they managed to get across, they could then cut the bridge off and stop their pursuers from following them. That was the plan at least, only for a dozen bullets to come flying through the air. Every bullet struck true, except for two. One mage ducked instinctively, while the other had managed to shield their head with their arms.

'And then there were two.' Said Natsu, coming into view with his two guns in hand.

'A kid? We got ambushed by a brat!' Shouted the man, who had blocked the fiery bullet in outrage.

'Not just any kid, but that's not important. Now, here is what I want to know, have either of you killed anyone before?' Asked Natsu.

'What of it? Are you scared, huh punk?' Taunted the man who had blocked the bullet, before a ball of fire crashed right between his eyes, knocking him out on contact.

'Okay, since you've been quiet and managed to dodge my attack, I've decided. Oh, but before I get ahead of myself, have you killed anyone before?' Asked Natsu.

'No.' Said the man nervously.

'Good.' Said Natsu calmly.

Natsu then picked up the man he had just shot, before throwing him over the edge of the cliff they were on. As the man plummeted downwards, Natsu shot a bullet at his back, which exploded on contact, before he plummeted into the icy depths below.

'What the hell, you killed him?' Cried the man in shock.

'That's right. I'll do the same to you if you don't accept my very generous offer, but you seem like a smart enough guy to do the right thing.' Said Natsu.

'What do you want?' Asked the man, taking a step backwards, from the merciless child in front of him.

'An informant. I want any and all information you can get on Tartaros, Grimoire Heart and Oración Seis. Every month you will come back here and give me whatever you manage to find out. Do that and you can do whatever you want after today. Of course, if you betray me, you'll end up like your friend down there. Also, if you think you can hide from me, let me clue you in on a little secret, I'm a Dragon Slayer and I have your scent, meaning, I can find you absolutely anywhere in Ishgar. I mean, you can try and flee to Bosco or some other place, but I'll also be monitoring you and every few weeks I'm just going to randomly appear in the area I will know you are, just as a reminder. You can try and run and maybe you will get lucky and actually manage to escape, but are you willing to risk it? You already saw what I did to someone who had never wronged me, what do you think I will do to someone who betrays me? So, do we have a deal?' Asked Natsu.

'Fine.' Said the man.

'Good. Now cross the bridge and make sure to destroy it behind you, otherwise people might get suspicious about how you managed to get away from me. See you back here in a month. Oh and don't be late.' Said Natsu, before the Dark Mage fled, destroying the bridge behind him with a blast of acid that melted away part of the wooden bridge, before the ropes holding it in place snapped and it fell to the side of the cliff Natsu was on.

Once Natsu was sure his newly crowned informant was gone, he quickly shot off towards the water and tracked down the man he had thrown into it.

"Good, still alive." Thought Natsu, before using a jet of fire to propel himself back up to the cliff, before dropping him down with the other ten mages and using his magic to vaporise all the water on his body, removing any trace of his little dip.

'Natsu, what took you so long?' Asked Laxus, appearing behind Natsu.

'One of them got away.' Groaned Natsu.

'It's okay. You did well for your first mission and we'll get them all, sooner or later. Come on, let's head back.' Said Laxus.

"Yeah, it's all a matter of time." Thought Natsu. 


	7. Crossroads

**Sorry for the delay on the chapter. I got bacterial conjunctivitis again and an infected finger, so I couldn't write or proofread. I'll try not to leave all of you hanging again, but as I always say, I am not promising anything and I certainly don't plan on getting sick, but it happens.  
Hope you enjoy the chapter.  
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan.**

Disclaimer – I don't own anything from the Fairy Tail anime/manga. All I own are my original characters and plot twists.

'Talking'

"Thinking"

*expression*

 _Flashback_

 **Techniques**

Chapter 7 – Crossroads

It had now been a year since Natsu and Cana had become S-Class and the new set of S-Class mages had already made a big impact on the land of Fiore. After another job with Laxus, both the senior S-Class mage and Guild Master had decided to allow them to take on S-Class jobs in pairs and after three successful jobs as a team, they were both now allowed to take S-Class jobs individually. It didn't change much initially, with Natsu and Cana continuing to go on S-Class jobs together, but every now and again Natsu would take a job by himself, without anyone noticing. He would be gone early in the morning and be back late in the afternoon, regardless of the difficulty of the job he took, baffling most of the guild. Currently, he was on one such job. A mission to eliminate an Ice Wyvern that had starting coming down from its mountain for food, leading to it stealing the livestock of the nearby villages.

The fate of this poor Wyvern was grim though, as it was currently reduced to ashes and bones, no match for Natsu's powerful brand of magic. Natsu was currently sitting in the snow next to the remains of the Wyvern, waiting for something or someone.

'Right on time.' Said Natsu, turning to the side and seeing the same Dark Mage he had terrified on his first S-Class mission, walking over to him.

'You should quit while you are ahead you know. They will figure out what you are making me do soon enough.' Said the unwilling spy.

'I intend for them too.' Said Natsu, shocking the dark mage.

'Are you crazy? You want the Balam Alliance to figure out you've been spying on them? Why?' Exclaimed the man.

'Simple, they are of use to me and I want them to come to me. It is too suspicious the other way. I am a Light Mage, aren't I? Well, that's the game isn't it, whose side am I really on? Yours, Fairy Tail's, the Balam Alliance, who can say, only I know the truth after all.' Grinned Natsu, unnerving his spy.

'You are crazy, you know that?' Pointed out the spy.

'I'm crazy? You are the only calling the person who could kill you at a whim, crazy.' Said Natsu.

'You won't, you didn't really kill that guy. I found out when he got thrown into prison.' Revealed the dark mage.

'Yet for some reason you keep doing what I tell you too, why?' Asked Natsu.

'You pay well and I'm curious why a supposed Light Mage is invested in the Balam Alliance.' Admitted the spy, before Natsu threw him a small sack, which jingled as it flew through the air.

'You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat. If you know why I'm interested in the Balam Alliance, I'm afraid I really would have to kill you. I would like the whereabouts of Grimoire Heart by next month at the latest and see if you can get any whispers about what Tartaros is up to.' Said Natsu, as he stood up.

'Oración Seis?' Queried the spy.

'Not this time.' Said Natsu, before walking down the mountain.

 _-line break-_

The sun was just beginning to set, when Natsu disembarked from the train, making his way back to Fairy Tail. The S-Class trials would be soon and depending on how they went, Natsu could leave Fairy Tail within a few months. Natsu had been keeping a careful eye on things and now seemed to be the best time to act. Finally arriving at the guild entrance, Natsu decided for a stealthier entrance, leaping up onto the roof, climbing in through one of the windows and dropping down on the second floor.

'You're back earlier than usual.' Commented Laxus, opening an eye to glance at the Dragon Slayer, not even bothering to take off his headphones for a response.

Natsu just gave a grin, before preparing to head downstairs, only for Laxus to speak up again.

'Those three are also going to give you an earful again, especially considering what is coming up soon.' Added Laxus, before closing his eye again.

Natsu gave a small laugh to himself, before leaping down to the first floor, near the bar, next to Makarov.

'You're back earlier than usual.' Greeted Makarov, mimicking his grandson's sentiments.

'The job was easier than usual, but Gramps, there is something I need to tell you. Can we go somewhere private?' Requested Natsu.

Makarov raised an eyebrow at this, before setting his mug down and hopping off the bench, gesturing for Natsu to follow him. The two slipped by the ruckus downstairs and made their way to Makarov's office. Makarov sat behind his desk, gesturing for Natsu to take the seat in front of him, with the Dragon Slayer quickly obliging.

'Well Natsu, what is it that you have to tell me today?' Asked Makarov.

'Well, I haven't really got a good way to say this, but your son has started a Dark Guild.' Said Natsu, causing the old man's eyes to widen in disbelief.

'Ivan's done what?' Exclaimed Makarov.

'Yep, he's making a Dark Guild, probably to come after us at some point in the future.' Reiterated Natsu.

'How? Why? When?' Spluttered Makarov, before taking a deep breath.

'How do you know this, why do you know this and since when have you known this?' Asked Makarov.

'I know because I've been looking into Dark Guilds recently. Why… I don't really have a good reason; I was just bored and deciding to be proactive about things, which may be interesting in the future. As for how long, about four months now.' Said Natsu.

Makarov was momentarily floored by all of this, before regaining his composure.

'What exactly do you plan on doing with this information and why are you coming to me now?' Asked Makarov, his gaze piercing Natsu's own searchingly.

'Well, the S-Class trials are coming up and if things go the way I am expecting them too, I don't think it is important that I stick around the guild as much as I have been before. Don't get me wrong Gramps, I'm not leaving Fairy Tail, but I told you what my reason for joining Fairy Tail was way back then and that hasn't changed.' Said Natsu.

'To find Igneel.' Stated Makarov.

'To find my family, exactly. I know that Fairy Tail is my family now too, but it is a different kind of family and I want to search for my first family.' Said Natsu.

'I'm confused though, what does this have to do with your foray into Dark Guilds and Ivan?' Inquired Makarov.

'Well, here at Fairy Tail, I'm kind of restricted in what I can do, not to mention the Council watching us all the time. So, since I found out all this information about potential threats to my family here, I'm planning on going undercover as a Dark Mage and continuing my search from the other side, as well as keeping everyone here safe.' Explained Natsu.

'Natsu, what you are planning on doing is extraordinarily risky and may even wind up with you being arrested or worse, dead. Why are you so willing to place yourself in harm's way for this?' Asked Makarov, a grave expression on his normally cheerful face.

'Because this is something I need to do. I need answers and to track those answers down, I need to be completely free of any eyes that may be watching me. Also, I'm willing to go down a dark path to get these answers and I don't want to drag any of you into this. We will always be family, but I don't want Fairy Tail mixed up into my personal business. There is some stuff I'm not telling you, but it is for your own good, just know, I will always be Natsu of Fairy Tail.' Said Natsu.

'Very well then, I can see I can't change your mind. In that case, there are three rules you must follow when you leave us: the first, you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live; the second, you must never use former contacts met through your being in the guild for personal gain; lastly, though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might, you must never consider your own life to be something insignificant and you must never forget about your friends, for as long as you live.' Said Makarov.

'Does the second rule apply to the Dark Mage I forced to become my spy?' Asked Natsu, getting a snort of amusement from Makarov.

'No.' Said Makarov.

'Then you've got nothing to worry about! I will keep Fairy Tail safe, even if Fairy Tail doesn't know it.' Said Natsu, standing up from his chair, before making his way down to the others again, leaving Makarov alone.

"Ivan… what have you been doing? Natsu… be careful." Thought Makarov, looking every bit his age, before heading after Natsu.

 _-line break-_

Natsu had just made his way downstairs, when multiple sets of eyes landed on him.

'Natsu!' Shouted a few members of the guild, who Natsu was quite familiar with.

They didn't seem to be happy though, as a bunch of attacks were quickly launched his way. With grace not seen by many in Fairy Tail, Natsu jumped over two swords that had been thrown at him and grasped them, before throwing them at a wave of dark energy and numerous cards, slicing the paper and evaporating the energy.

'Now is that any way to say hello to someone who just did an S-Class job?' Pouted Natsu, drawing the ire of the three girls that had assaulted him.

'Natsu!' Exclaimed Happy, before flying over to Natsu and landing on his head.

'Hey buddy, have funny with your mum?' Asked Natsu.

'Aye sir! Lisanna gave me lots of fish.' Cheered Happy.

'Where is Lisanna anyway?' Asked Natsu, only to feel a weight on his back.

'I finally snuck up on you!' Exclaimed Lisanna, having leapt onto the Dragon Slayer.

'Did you?' Asked Natsu quietly, nudging something into Lisanna's waist.

'Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?' Asked Lisanna teasingly, only to pout, when Natsu grinned.

'Gun of course.' Said Natsu, getting Lisanna to disembark from her impromptu ride.

'You're no fun.' Said Lisanna, sticking her tongue out at Natsu.

'Hey, did you forget about us?' Asked Mira in annoyance, getting her sibling and her self-proclaimed husband to look at her.

'Sorry Mira, did you say something?' Replied the duo, causing the white-haired girl to fume, much to their amusement.

'Natsu, why do you keep going off on your own like that? You could get hurt one of these days.' Chided Erza, only for Natsu to look at her in amusement.

'Really Erza? It's me. Nothing can touch me, especially not a single Ice Wyvern. Even Gray had stronger magic than that thing. The only reason it was an S-Class job, was because of how desperate the villagers were, since not everyone could just walk right up a sheer frozen cliff, where the thing was living.' Explained Natsu.

'An Ice Wyvern.' Commented Gray in interest.

'An Ice Wyvern. You could probably learn a thing or two from it, like doing airborne attacks, but not much.' Commented Natsu.

'Natsu, weren't you supposed to be spending more time at the guild in the lead up to the S-Class trials?' Asked Cana pointedly, getting Natsu to laugh.

'Oh yeah, I did say that, didn't I?' Laughed Natsu, getting two unamused stares from Erza and Mira, the top candidates for the exam next month.

'In that case, follow me and we can get a bit of strategy planning done!' Declared Natsu, before marching out of the guild, Happy still on his head.

'So we should follow him right?' Asked Elfman hesitantly.

'Of course.' Said Lisanna, before following suit.

Mira and Erza left straight after that, causing Cana to sigh.

'Come on you two.' Said Cana, getting nods from Gray and Elfman, before the three of them left the guild.

"Never a dull moment with Natsu around." Thought Makarov, before grabbing another drink, as his old one had gone flat.

 _-line break-_

Eventually, the entire group reached their training spot, with Natsu waiting for the last of them to arrive before speaking.

'Okay, I am going to make this very simple: Erza, Mira, one of you will definitely become S-Class after these trials.' Said Natsu, getting a smirk from Mira and a smile from Erza.

'But! If you two listen to me and put aside your pointless rivalry as the two of you have been getting better at doing, both of you could become S-Class.' Said Natsu, surprising all of them.

'I think that we might have been an exception last year, Natsu, not the rule. Master has never promoted two mages to S-Class in the same trial until us last year. Expecting him to do it again in the very next trial seems a bit farfetched.' Said Cana.

'Now, now, don't be so quick to dismiss my idea. Fairy Tail is practically founded on the principle of teamwork and family. The only reason there had never been two people promoted to S-Class before is because there had never been a team made up of two candidates before, think about it.' Pointed out Natsu, giving the group pause.

'So you plan is to have big sis and Erza make up one team and win the trials together, right?' Inquired Lisanna.

'Exactly!' Said Natsu, only for the two in question to look at each other.

'What makes you think that Master will ask for the two of us to pick partners for the trials?' Asked Erza.

'If it isn't broken, why fix it? Gramps knows that tests like these, where he pits two of us together, always makes us bring our best, but if you want to get something really special, you need to surprise him. I mean, me and Cana working together, while unexpected, isn't completely baffling. However, if the two of you, the two girls who are always fighting together over the littlest thing can come to work together as a team, to achieve a common goal, you are almost guaranteed to both be made S-Class.' Explained Natsu.

'Almost?' Asked Elfman curiously.

'Well yeah, they still need to beat whoever Gramps sets up to fight them. Since we have three S-Class mages at the guild now, there is an equal chance of it being either Cana, Laxus or me. If it is Laxus, you will probably struggle, considering he gave us a run for our money last year, but I'm sure if the two of you work together, you can manage it. I'm also pretty sure the two of you could take Cana on as well, but once again, if you don't work as a team, she can take you both out, after all, she was the one who put down Laxus last year.' Said Natsu, shocking the group, who hadn't learned of this little fact until that very moment.

'You're the one who beat Laxus!' Exclaimed Gray in disbelief.

'Yeah, probably because I can keep my clothes on, Gray!' Grumbled Cana, as the stripping mage found his scattered clothes.

'What about if they have to fight you?' Asked Lisanna, bringing the focus back to Natsu.

'That depends on my mood, either they will definitely fail or they will definitely pass.' Said Natsu, getting a chill to run down the spines of the S-Class hopefuls.

'What could change your mood so they definitely pass?' Asked Happy, causing Natsu to look up to his adoptive son.

'That's a secret.' Grinned Natsu, unnerving the two girls further.

'In any case, this is all in the air at this point, so the only thing to do now is to train. Elfman, Gray, I want the two of you to attack Erza, while Cana and Lisanna will fight Mira. I'll keep watch and make sure you all stay on your toes, after all, the trials after this one could be the opportunity for one of you three to become S-Class, so take this seriously.' Said Natsu, surprising the group at his faith in them.

'Heh, of course we will, just you wait.' Said Gray confidently.

'Well then, let's go.' Said Natsu, bringing out his guns and spurring the group into action.

 _-line break-_

Tired, sweaty and bruised, the group was down and out. The two more destructive girls of the group refused to sit down, while the boys were sprawled on the ground. Lisanna and Cana had made their way to Natsu, with Lisanna now playing with Happy, while Cana rested on Natsu's shoulder.

'That was some training session. Make sure you all get plenty of rest because this is the program for the next few days.' Said Natsu, getting a round of groans from the group, except for Lisanna, who was busily playing with her adoptive son.

'Do you really think this is going to work?' Asked Cana quietly.

'Of course. We've all come a long way and we proved it last year when we became S-Class together. I'm sure those two can do it if they work together.' Replied Natsu equally as quiet.

'If you say so.' Yawned Cana, before pushing her head off Natsu's shoulder and standing to her feet, stretching her arms up high.

'Well, I'm off, see you all tomorrow.' Said Cana, before leaving the training area.

'Me too, I need to get some food.' Piped up Gray, before leaving as well.

'So do you really think we can do it?' Asked Mira, Erza nodding at the question.

'At this rate, I'd be surprised if you fail.' Said Natsu, getting both girls to beam.

'Of course we won't fail! Let's go home, Elfman, Lisanna.' Said Mira, before leaving as well.

'See you tomorrow, Happy.' Said Lisanna, before handing the sleepy cat to her self-proclaimed husband.

After the three Strauss siblings left, Natsu amused himself with ruffling Happy's hair, only to hear someone clear their throat, causing him to look up.

'Something wrong, Erza?' Asked Natsu in genuine curiosity.

'Natsu, where are you going off on your own all the time?' Asked Erza, not bothering to mince words.

'On jobs.' Replied Natsu.

'No, really. You may be going and doing jobs, but something is strange about these jobs you do alone and I don't like it.' Pressed Erza.

'Why do you want to know? I'm the S-Class mage and you aren't, so is it really your place to ask me about my jobs?' Countered Natsu, causing Erza to fidget in annoyance.

'Natsu, I'm just worried about you.' Said Erza in exasperation.

'Don't be Erza. The world is a dangerous place and there is no telling what will happen to any of us, but if there is one thing I can be sure of, it is that you don't need to worry about me. I can handle myself just fine.' Said Natsu, in what he thought was a reassuring manner, only for Erza to sigh and look downtrodden at his dismissal.

'Erza, tell me the truth, why are you so worried, now all of a sudden?' Asked Natsu, getting Erza to blink momentarily in shock, before regaining her composure.

'Natsu, I can feel it, you are pulling away from us, from your friends. First the jobs on your own and now even the training you just gave us, you barely intervened, leaving us to our own devices, only pushing us to keep going. You're pulling away and I don't know why.' Admitted Erza, with a frown.

'You are right. I am pulling away, but it is for your growth. I only started this thing, but the fact that all of you keep waiting for me to do any training, shows you are all getting reliant on me. That is not okay. What happens when you go on jobs without me and I'm not there to hold your hand when things get tough? You and Mira are strong, but since Cana and I became S-Class, you two have become… well, soft quite frankly. I support the two of you no longer fighting over every little thing, but don't lose the fire that made the two of you some of the most formidable mages in Fairy Tail.' Revealed Natsu.

'You're right. We have become complacent, but that changes now. Thank you for your honesty, Natsu.' Said Erza, giving a small bow, to which Natsu nodded, before she left as well.

'Yeah, that and the fact that I won't be around for some time very soon. I really hope you can all hold it together.' Muttered Natsu to himself, before carefully picking up the sleeping Happy and heading home.


End file.
